Legacy
by Lostheartdarkclan
Summary: "Brought upon by the lust for power, a deeply embedded grudge will lay waste to the clan. Until the blood of the cursed has been repaid, DarkClan will be forever left to waste away into nothingness. Until the harbinger of darkness is put to rest, DarkClan will forever suffer in a never-ending cycle of misfortune." Final book of the DarkClan Trilogy. Rated T for violence
1. Summary

**If you have not read the first two books and you want to, THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS!  
**

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**SUMMARY/FORWARD**

The ultimate battle with TreeClan had been devastating.

Not only for the loss of Browneyes, a kind DarkClan tom, but for OceanClan and LightClan as well. It seemed almost unreal that Willowstar would never torture them again; he was finally gone, and with him went a great deal of pain and anxiety that had hung over the entire valley. What had become of the adopted TreeClan leader, no cat knew for certain; for who were they to judge which cats were deserving to walk amongst StarClan? However, it was a question that needn't truly be asked. After all the cruelty and selfishness the tom had displayed, it was hard to believe a cat like he was deserving of a peaceful afterlife.

Roseclaw, Mintpaw, and Wetpaw had been kind enough to aid Brisingstar and Morningstar as they lay amongst their broken clans on the battlefield. It was there that the two clan leaders had apologized directly to DarkClan for their actions, and all was forgiven.

The clans seemed to desire a new peace in the forest, but as it was, there were only three clans present. DarkClan bid farewell to LightClan and OceanClan after the two clans had thanked them for their freedom, as well as StarClan above. It was a wonder that their ancestors had chosen to interfere, and in all the leaders' lives, they had never heard of such an occurrence ever happening before. It was a moment that would go down in the history of the forest, and would be re-told for generations. Just as they had in the beginning, and time and time again, DarkClan had somehow managed to pull through.

Our DarkClan warriors returned to their home that night, lacking a set of familiar, gray paws. Browneyes had been buried in the field; it was fitting for the tom, seeing as how it was his favorite spot in the forest. Even with the burial place being full, they would have honored Browneyes with the location all the same. A small pile of stones sat atop the hill, acting as the marker for the tom's grave; and when hit with just the right amount of sunlight, the stones appeared to glow in the morning and late afternoon. Recovering from the fight had not taken too long, and after only a few days, a TreeClan patrol had come to the border, asking for forgiveness. The group was led by an older tom called Thrushcross who apologized for TreeClan's actions. After discovering Willowstar had been defeated, many of the elders were able to convince some of the younger cats to join them and take back their clan. Willowstar had forced all the elders into a separate camp, storing them away to die because they were too weak and useless. Many of TreeClan's warriors did not believe Willowstar could die, because that is what he had told them; and they had truly believed it. The tom's death seemed to pull them back into reality, or at least discourage enough cats so they could regain control of TreeClan.

Thrushcross announced that he would be the one to become TreeClan's new leader, and at the first Gathering since the battle, he announced it to the clans-as well as the new TreeClan deputy, Barkface. The news came as a surprise to many cats, and they questioned what happened to TreeClan's old deputy. It was said that during their recovery of TreeClan, Pineneedle was forced out, exiled from the forest; and the tom hadn't been seen since.

The entire forest was recovering, and just in time for newleaf; and, for once, everything seemed to be at peace. There was no Willowstar, no threat from Oceanclan, TreeClan, nor LightClan; and yet, the nightmares still continued...

The DarkClan Trilogy, Book 3: Legacy

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I still can't believe I have come this far. First things first:**

**If you have not read Book 1 and Book 2 of my trilogy, I recommend doing so before reading this one. You don't have to if you don't want to, but it would make it much, much easier to understand, and you would have a better idea of the characters and what is happening. **

**Second, like I always warn; this is rated T for violence and dark themes. I stated this a while ago, but I really need to state it again. This book has a lot of supernatural themes, so if you don't like that, don't read. The other books did as well, but this one has a bit more in it.**

**Thirdly, Yes updates will probably be considerably slower. I know it sucks, but I am a very, very, very busy person; and I know that can be hard to understand, especially from just looking at this text, but I hope that you do understand. I will try to update as much as I can, but like I said, VERY busy.**

**Fourth, I am not sure when my cover for this will come up. Whenever I have the time to make it. **

**AND FIFTH, I still have not finished my little animation, but I have not forgotten about it! Why haven't I been able to work on it? You guessed it- I don't have the time right now. We'll see how that goes for the future, but I assure you I have not forgotten.**

**Lost**


	2. Chapter 1

The forest would have been completely silent if not for the for the small sound of cracking twigs and the cawing of crows lurking in the canopies of shadowy trees. The sky above was a dull grey as the sun had yet to rise, leaving the woods in a state of shade that was both cool and crisp in the morning air; chilly enough to bristle the fur of a cat's neck.

A black she-cat moved from the spot that she had previously been sitting, her red eye contrasting sharply to the gray-toned world around her. In the center of the camp laid a small group of seven cats, each rising upon her approach. One she-cat in particular with clouded eyes spoke before the rest.

"So, what do you think?" Greysight meowed. "We have to do something; its already been too long."

A large white tom let out a snort from beside her, clearly displeased with something she had said. "Its almost been a moon since Sunstar died." he intoned sharply, averting his midnight blue gaze from the others as they turned to acknowledge him. "We need to decide now."

"Have you thought about it?" A pale she-cat meowed, meeting Lostheart's gaze with her own. Moonfur knew Lostheart always had a plan, but she wondered if the she-cat had really considered her suggestion.

"You were the deputy..." she trailed off hesitantly.

Lostheart said nothing as she took in the words of her clanmates, looking around the camp as she did. It was empty, almost completely shrouded by silence now; the only sounds that were truly audible were the faded snores coming from the warriors den. The she-cat sighed inwardly as her eyes flickered to meet the variously colored irises of her clanmates; she had thought about this problem for a while now, but she did believe that she had finally come to a decision.

Intrigued by the current conversation; Raggedear, Thistleprick, and Roseclaw padded forward from where they sat behind the talking cats, eager to hear what would be said next.

"Before I say anything, I want to know what all of you think." Lostheart meowed.

The cats looked a bit surprised by her statement, but no one questioned her. For a long moment nothing was said, each cat glancing at one another to see who would speak first. Raggedear and Thistleprick shared a glance, but neither tom knew what to do in this type of situation; it was better that they left it to the cats who had grown up in clan life.

"You deserve to be leader, Lostheart." Greysight meowed confidently. "You've done so much for all of us, and if it wasn't for you, we might not have survived that battle. It was your plan, and I think you're one of the best-suited cats in the forest." Greysight grinned confidently as she felt Lostheart shift slightly, knowing that the she-cat didn't really care to hear such things.

Lostheart did feel a small bit of warmth inside her at Greysight's words; she didn't believe them to be entirely true of course, but the fact that she said them was kind all the same. It wasn't just because of her that they won that battle, they had worked together to do it; and through their perseverance and determination, they _had _done it. Lostheart simply did what she felt was right; and she was by no means perfect. The memory of the tom she had killed the day Ivyfoot had died would be forever burned into her memory; it was horrible, that cat's life was put to an end for nothing, because of her. Browneyes sacrificed himself for her...

Lostheart's eyes dulled a bit, but she avoided thinking too much on the matter and instead let her gaze fall on Darkpelt. The tom was sitting quietly beside Greysight with a serious expression etched onto his face. Lostheart, Greysight, and any other cat who had grown up alongside the tom knew of his desire to be leader one day, and of the lengths he had taken to achieve such a position in order to follow in his father's pawsteps. Darkpelt met the she-cat's eerie gaze easily, unperturbed by the sight of such terrifying eyes that he and the others were now so accustomed to.

He said nothing, but in doing so, he said more than any words could ever express.

Moonfur nodded in agreement with Greysight's statement while Raggedear and Thistleprick joined her as well. Roseclaw smiled to herself, truly happy for her sister; but at the same time, she wondered what StarClan would do, and what they were thinking. It had already been far too long since a leader was supposed to be chosen- much less a deputy- and even then, Roseclaw was unsure if StarClan would respond. They had never spoken to her before; she wondered if it would be the same for Lostheart. The white she-cat frowned a bit at the thought. She wouldn't want Lostheart to feel as useless as she did; besides, the she-cat had suffered from enough seclusion in her life. But she didn't see why StarClan would have a problem; they had come to their aid in the battle, and they weren't like the other cats in the forest. They were their ancestors: wise, fair, and admirable.

Lostheart looked into the supportive faces of her clanmates and felt a slight tug of guilt in her heart. "Being leader...isn't something I've ever wanted. But I came up with a different idea, one that I hope you'll all agree on..."

Roseclaw blinked at her statement, as did a few of the others. Many of them, including Roseclaw, instinctively turned to look at Darkpelt who had moved to sit up a bit straighter, expressing a great interest in what Lostheart was now saying.

Moonfur could see where this was going, and she too focused her line of vision onto Darkpelt; the tom seemed to know where this was headed, as did everyone else. But Moonfur paused her thoughts for a second while a new idea dawned on her as she noticed the somewhat short, blind she-cat sitting beside him. Darkpelt and Greysight both seemed like obvious choices for leadership, even with Greysight's blindness, Lostheart would never be one to look down on her because of it; and from what she saw, the two black she-cats were close.

"There won't be a leader."

Darkpelt expression of interest and calm intelligence immediately changed at her words, contorting into one of confusion and utter disbelief. "No leader?! What are you saying, there has to be a leader! Its part of the warrior code; what right do you have to change it?!" Darkpelt's fur began to bristle; even though what he said was true, it was not the complete reason for his anger. He had been the one keeping the clan organized and protected, he had been the one to lead them, he was the strongest warrior in the clan, it was his brother who had died in the battle, it was he who had taken on Willowstar; had they all suddenly forgotten that? If anyone was suited to be leader, it was him.

Greysight was shocked as well, but she was always willing to give Lostheart the benefit of the doubt. With eyes narrowed slightly in confusion, Greysight stepped toward Darkpelt to quiet the bristling tom with a flick of her tail and a pointed glare. "What do you mean?"

"This entire time," Lostheart began quietly, facing her clanmates as best she could, "We've been working together as a clan. Even with Sunstar out of commission, we were able to get along just fine. Why should this have to change now? We're all equal here. We can make our own decisions, together."

"...True." Greysight agreed. "-But being a leader means getting nine lives, and that could be really helpful. Especially for protecting the clan, and then there's the code.."

"Aw, forget the code; from what I've seen, its not like you guys ever followed it much anyway." Thistleprick meowed, leaning back as he stretched himself awake.

"Forget the code?!" Darkpelt growled, clearly appalled with the idea. "How dare you! You don't even know what you're talking about! We can't just forget the code! The clans have been using the code for generations, it was decreed by StarClan itself- and not even you can deny its existence now."

"We're not going to forget the code." Lostheart meowed, her voice cutting through the growing tension between the two toms. "It won't be any different from before."

Darkpelt and Thistleprick fell silent as she spoke; Thistleprick shrugged nonchalantly and ignored Darkpelt's furious glare. He didn't see what the big deal was; everyone always got so touchy. The tom chuckled a bit to himself and moved to nudge Raggedear beside him.

"Touchy aren't they?" he whispered in amusement.

The light teasing look left his violet eyes as he took in Raggedear's serious expression, and his grin too began to slowly fall.

"I guess." Raggedear meowed. "Its pretty important after all... I think I'm gonna just head back into the warrior's den for now, at least until you guys need me, okay?" Raggedear pulled himself up and gave his mottled pelt a good shake in an effort to dispel the cold chill that had set in; Thistleprick blinked at his brother's actions, "Well, sure; are you okay?" he meowed.

"Fine. I'm just tired, that's all." Raggedear had looked away from Thistleprick and appeared to be talking more to himself than to his brother; nonetheless, Thistleprick nodded. "Okay, I'll come get you later."

Thistleprick watched Raggedear walk away from their group and back toward the warrior's den, letting his eyes linger for a second before focusing his attention back onto the other cats. He had missed a bit of the conversation, but it was likely just Greysight and Darkpelt arguing with each other as usual.

"I still think its a good idea for you to go to the Moonstool; we can deal with leadership rules and limits when you get back. You are the deputy, you have to go. StarClan needs a leader to represent DarkClan; its the code. Please, Lostheart?" Greysight meowed.

Roseclaw remained silent as she watched the exchange, not exactly sure of what she should say. As medicine cat it was her duty to interact with and interpret the will of StarClan, but Greysight was right in a sense, it was the code and it was worth trying. The gift of extra lives shouldn't have been something so easily brushed aside, especially considering their current state of affairs.

Lostheart was quiet for a moment, deeply entranced by her own thoughts as the others waited for an answer. Finally the she-cat gave a slight nod in defeat, "Okay."

Greysight seemed pleased to hear her response, but Roseclaw was able to pick up on the hesitation hidden in Lostheart's voice. Darkpelt gave a brisk nod as well, "Then you should leave now while the day is still young."

"I will."

"Who are you taking with you?" Greysight meowed, eyes flickering to Roseclaw. Moonfur stood by listening as well; she had never been to the Moonstool before, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a bit curious.

"I'll go alone, its better that way. We need paws in camp to hunt and patrol the borders. I'll be fine."

"Okay." Greysight sighed, "Just be careful." Even though it seemed like the forest was in a state of peace now, one could never be too cautious. Greysight had actually wanted to visit the Moonstool on the chance that she might see Mosspelt, and they could talk about everything that had happened; but she supposed that if the she-cat had wanted to visit her, she could have done it in her dreams.

Lostheart gave a weak smile meant to encourage them as she padded away toward the tree tunnel on her own. Darkpelt stood up and walked away at her leave with Thistleprick at his heels, the tom blabbering on about some odd nonsense as he usually did with his larger companion. It was not hard to feel sorry for Darkpelt, and perhaps the very person who could relate to him the most was Thistleprick. He couldn't imagine a life without his brother.

Darkpelt only grumbled something in the response to the tom which made him laugh audibly from where the two stood across the clearing. Roseclaw rolled her eyes and turned back to watch Lostheart's lithe form disappear into the darkness of the forest as she let out a small breath of air she hadn't realized she had been holding.

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Lostheart stood on top of the smooth surface of stone now laid out before her. The small grove was alive with the sound of crickets chirping, and the soft leaves of the surrounding trees brushed lightly against one another in the breeze. From where she stood, she could look right out of the wide stone chasm and see the sky above, lightening with the threat of dawn.

She had never been here before; or rather, no one had ever taken her. She had only ever heard about it from Greysight and Roseclaw, this was the place that they were most connected with their ancestors: the Moonstool. Lostheart padded closer to the edge of the pond, staring out in wonder across the still water of the pool while taking note of the large, lone tree stump situated in it's center.

It felt strange to be standing there now; she almost felt out of place among the beauty of the grove, and the sense of purity that the area gave off. With a feeling of apprehension, Lostheart silently moved to lie down on the cool surface of the stone, waiting for the deep sleep that was sure to come.

And come it did.

The feeling was almost instantaneous, and upon opening her eyes, Lostheart found herself in an almost entirely different place. It was still the Moonstool to be sure, but everything looked different, shrouded by the cover of starlight. The oddly-eyed she-cat could do nothing but look around in amazement, she had never seen anything like it before.

Her gaze stopped; however, as she laid eyes on the figure of a cat sitting atop the tree stump. Lostheart had to squint as the glowing cat stepped across the surface of the water and met her strange gaze.

She could only blink at the young figure of the cat standing before her, and after a moment of quiet thought, she realized-

"...Mosspelt?" Lostheart whispered to herself.

Mosspelt stopped a few tail-lengths away from Lostheart; her young, starry form untouched by the claws of time as she gazed at the black she-cat with an unreadable expression. "Why have you come here?" she meowed, voice echoing around the walls of the grove.

"I've come to receive my nine lives." Lostheart stated passively, remembering the way Mosspelt had treated her when she was young. It had been a while since then, and surely there was no reason to doubt a StarClan cat, but something about the she-cat unnerved her.

Mosspelt said nothing at first, watching Lostheart through shimmering pools of blue that evenly matched the surface of the water. Slowly, she shook her head a single time before looking back up at Lostheart.

There was something in Mosspelt's eyes-something unreadable- that made Lostheart feel anxious.

"Leader of DarkClan... I think not. StarClan does cannot approve of your position as leader. You will not be receiving any lives here today." Mosspelt meowed emotionlessly, turning around with a flick of her tail to look away from the black she-cat, her voice oddly quiet and reserved. "We shall not make the same mistakes again. Farewell, _Lostheart_."

Before Lostheart could even say anything, the starry form of Mosspelt disappeared, leaving her standing alone at the edge of the water; which she soon realized no longer had its starlit form or luminous qualities.

She was standing back in the grove again, and slowly, the sounds of the crickets began to fade back into her senses as she blinked into reality. It had all happened so fast, so abruptly. Lostheart blinked as she stood speechless at the edge of the lightly rippling water, turning to look at her reflection below.

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**AUTHOR NOTE**

**I told you this would be slower. -Sigh- Believe me it bugs me. So yeah, all is relatively well. As you can see I managed to make a cover, unfortunately my laptop died before I could go into any real detail, but I'm okay with it. My birthday was the second, and that was pretty cool. I was going to upload the cover as a speedpaint, but it would only be about 54 seconds long with the footage my thing actually picked up, not very interesting footage either.**

**-Lost**

**P.S New poll!**


	3. Chapter 2

Greysight licked the edge of her paw and allowed herself to stretch out for a brief moment of relaxation as she lied in a soft patch of grass. It was rare for her to get time to herself, especially considering the current number of cats in the clan; it always seemed like there was more prey that needed to be caught. It was never easy. Why were they the ones that had to live in such a bleak part of the forest? No matter how you looked at it, the forest was dying, it always had been; slowly withering away. She couldn't blame prey for not wanting to live in such a place. No. TreeClan territory was far more appealing.

At least she didn't have to see it like the others did, she could imagine that the scenery didn't help one's optimism much.

Greysight perked up as she felt the vibration of approaching pawsteps, but her hopes were dashed when she realized it was only Thistleprick returning with Goldenpaw. The tom had taken over her training after Browneyes's untimely death. Personally she felt that Lostheart should have continued Goldenpaw's training, but the she-cat seemed pretty adamant in not doing so.

Thistleprick offered the young dappled she-cat some words of encouragement before he turned away to join Darkpelt, Roseclaw, and Moonfur where the three cats were currently eating a bit of lunch. Greysight continued to observe from where she sat, content with being alone for once; it was actually kind of nice. She wondered if this was how Lostheart felt most of the time.

"Hey guys!" Thistleprick greeted cheerfully, immediately leaning toward Roseclaw for a touch. The she-cat promptly wrinkled her face up in disdain and moved away. "No?" Thistleprick meowed, still in good humor; then, chuckling, he took a seat around the others with a small thump.

"You should've seen Goldenpaw today Moonfur, she's really good y'know. I never knew training could be so much fun- Then again, _I _was never included." he sniffed.

"Maybe that's because you enjoy having 'fun' so much, training is serious- But I'm glad she's doing well." Moonfur replied, a soft purr falling into the end of her statement. In truth, the pale she-cat was actually very protective of her kits, but she knew Thistleprick would never intentionally do anything wrong or bad.

Still. She hadn't forgotten about the time he had shirked off his patrol duty; his actions had not only caused Amberpaw to get kidnapped, but he had put his brother through a great deal of pain as well. The shimmer of amusement in Moonfur's separately colored eyes dulled slightly as she thought of the tom currently sleeping in the warrior's den; she hoped he would feel better, earlier he had looked absolutely exhausted.

"It is fun though! It feels almost like- Well, its pretty cool, I'm glad I got the chance." Thistleprick continued, twitching his whiskers happily.

"Yes, we can all see just how _happy _you are." Darkpelt meowed gruffly, a snarl lacing his voice. With that short statement, the tom stood up and stalked away from the others, leaving them to watch his retreating flecked form.

Roseclaw sent Thistleprick a sharp look, but she was surprised to see that the grin had faded from his face altogether and his whiskers had fallen once more. Roseclaw shook her head in a disapproving manner and stood up, "I'll talk to you later Moonfur, I still need to teach Wetpaw about roots. Mintpaw should be back soon from collecting berries too..." She trailed off as she was suddenly reminded of all she had to do and turned to walk back toward the medicine cat den after receiving a small smile and a nod from Moonfur.

"Nice going." Moonfur meowed hotly after the others had padded a good distance away. "Now you've upset him."

Thistleprick let out a small breath and averted his violet colored eyes from Moonfur, looking past her. "I didn't mean to..."

Greysight moved her attention away from Thistleprick and Moonfur as soon as she felt the soft approach of a cat outside of camp. She eagerly rose to her paws, able to recognize Lostheart's pawsteps. Finally! She had been waiting for Lostheart's return; the trip seemed surprisingly short. Lostheart would definitely be hungry after the journey, but as Greysight scented the air, she realized they had forgotten to save the dark she-cat something.

_'I can go out and find her something later.' _Greysight thought guiltily. She had been to the Moonstool several times before and she knew that the traveling herbs didn't help much, and Lostheart hadn't even taken any.

Greysight stretched for a moment before trotting over to the camp's entrance. She had been waiting for Lostheart since the she-cat had left, she wanted to be the first one to call her by her new name.

As if on cue, Lostheart stepped out from the shadows of the tree tunnel and padded into camp, immediately taking notice of Greysight waiting for her with a large grin stretched across her face.

"Welcome back, Lost_star_." she greeted.

"That's not my name." Lostheart responded tiredly, eyes focused as if she had been deep in thought for a while now.

Greysight's smile fell at Lostheart's unexpected response and blinked her large, cloudy eyes in confusion. "Are you sure? I mean, I guess its up to you, but it might dishonor StarClan."

"Apparently it would dishonor them to give me the name. StarClan didn't accept me..." The way Lostheart said it was quiet and held an almost questioning tone to it. Greysight had trouble understanding what Lostheart meant at first; what did she mean 'didn't accept her'? Was that even possible? Why would they do that?

"What about your lives?" Greysight began, her voice laced with concern and even a small bit of anger. She didn't understand why StarClan would do this. To her knowledge they never had before, it didn't make any sense.

Lostheart slowly shook her head, "Nothing..."

Greysight looked astonished, and even though Lostheart wanted to feel the same way, she didn't feel very surprised at all. She was used to things like this, whatever 'this' was. She didn't want to believe StarClan wouldn't accept her just because of the way she looked- Mosspelt had never liked her, maybe it had something to do with that. The black she-cat sighed inwardly; she supposed it didn't matter too much, in all honesty she would've kept her name either way. The lives weren't that big of a deal either, she wanted to be on equal ground as her clanmates; and after Willowstar... Having more lives than others just didn't sit right with her. Even if it was to protect the clan, if that was the case, why couldn't StarClan just grant all cats nine lives?

"We should probably let everyone else know." Lostheart continued.

"I'll get everyone." Greysight replied. She shook her head after a moment, still unsure of how to take the news. With a furrowed brow Greysight turned away from Lostheart and went off to gather the cats from their dens while Lostheart moved to sit in the center of camp where a few of the apprentices already sat.

Greysight tried not to think too much on it right now, not wanting it to bother her. Mintpaw would be going to the Moonstool at the next half moon to get her full medicine cat name; if she went with her and Roseclaw, she might have a chance of speaking to Mosspelt.

The blind she-cat popped her head inside the warrior's den, scenting the air for a moment. Only Raggedear was inside, still sleeping from earlier. However, Greysight noted the tom's form was unusually stiff, not resembling that of a sleeping cat. Stepping deeper into the den, Greysight called out to him quietly, not really wanting to wake the tom if he was asleep.

"Raggedear? Are you awake?"

"...Yes?"

Greysight blinked at his tone, the tom sounded tired, it didn't seem like he got much rest. Maybe he wasn't feeling well. The thought that one of her clanmates might be coming down with something only put Greysight in an even more negative mood, illness was all they needed right now.

"We're having a meeting, everyone needs to be there. Its about Lostheart's trip to the Moonstool; she's back. If you're feeling sick you can always go see Roseclaw, don't even think about waiting until the last minute because that'll just make it worse."

Raggedear let out a tired breath and stretched slightly for a moment before he pulled himself up and shook off his pelt, letting a few loose tufts of fur float down to the dirt. "I'm fine," he meowed, "I'm just tired.."

"I can tell. Don't worry, it won't take too long. I still think you should consider seeing Roseclaw, she can-"

"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me, I just haven't been getting as much rest as I normally would. Darkpelt likes running a lot of patrols- No need to tell him I said that of course, I can deal with them just fine." Raggedear made his way over to Greysight and joined her at the den's entrance. "I just don't see why we have to do so many, its not like anyone will attack now."

Greysight let the conversation drop as she and Raggedear padded out from the warriors den, and- much to her surprise- the clan had already gathered in the center of camp. Except now, they no longer sat looking up at the leader's den. Instead, everyone sat in a circle facing each other.

Greysight and Raggedear each took a place in the ring and waited for the rest of the apprentices to join them. Only Branchpaw remained, but it wasn't long before the tabby came running in from the tree tunnel, apologizing frantically for being late as Darkpelt started to berate him.

"You're almost old enough to be a warrior now, you should start acting like one. Punctuality would certainly help with that, it shows you have responsibility. Back when I was an apprentice I was never late." Darkpelt meowed in annoyance.

Moonfur sighed inwardly as she watched the exchange. She wished Darkpelt wouldn't be so hard on her son, but she knew what the tom said was true- However harsh he may be. He was going through a tough time, suffered a great loss. To her, it simply seemed like the tom didn't know how to deal with the feelings he was experiencing. It was quite sad.

She had already spoken to Branchpaw about it, and he understood. It was better that way; especially for her because she knew her son wouldn't take anything the flecked tom said to heart, or at least, she sincerely hoped he wouldn't.

"You're fine." Moonfur meowed warmly at her son. "We were just about to start anyway."

Branchpaw felt a touch of warmth from his mother's smile and hurriedly sidled down beside his brother, Wetpaw, who jumped at his touch. Wetpaw had always been a jumpy apprentice, and his eyes always seemed to have a constant trace of fear in their depths, wide as an owl's; almost everything set him off.

It was good that he had chosen the path of a medicine cat, Moonfur knew a warrior's life would be difficult for him and she didn't want to have to see him go through that. Her other kits were moving along just as smoothly, it was hard to believe how much they had all grown.

Amberpaw always raved about her training sessions with Raggedear and about how well she was doing and Goldenpaw seemed to enjoy having Thistleprick as her mentor. Browneyes's death had affected her greatly, but with Thistleprick's constant good nature and boundless energy, she seemed to be getting over it quite well. His nature distracted her from dwelling on sad thoughts. Warpaw was Greysight's apprentice, and Moonfur wholly trusted the blind she-cat, despite their rocky beginning. Her son didn't speak much about their training though; it made her wonder what he and Greysight were working on.

Lostheart could see that everyone was waiting for her to speak and tell the story of what had happened at the Moonstool, and a part of her felt guilty as she looked into the glowing faces of the apprentices and her friends who thought she had nine lives, and she didn't know how to face them.

Their eyes were beginning to burn into her, and their radiant expressions were beginning to blind her as she felt the steady increase of her heartbeat growing faster and faster until it-

"Lostheart is tired from the trip, so she's going to go to sleep early today." Greysight meowed from where she sat beside Lostheart, who had become completely still. Greysight turned and gave her a sort of half smile, "You should rest. Come on, you know you can't argue with me."

Lostheart was speechless for a second, unsure of what to do or say. She managed to nod in response to Greysight and found herself rising to her paws, aware of everyone's gaze on her. Her eyes naturally came over the cats surrounding her once more, and she felt herself becoming absorbed once again by their influence.

What would they think? What would they say? She didn't want them to know. She didn't want to disappoint them. She didn't want them to think she was odd or different. She didn't want the attention.

It was at times like these that she-cat wished she could just fade into the shadows of the decrepit forest around them.

Wordlessly, Lostheart turned and padded away from her clanmates, self-conscious with every step. The only feeling she could take note of was the anxiety welling up in her chest, and the fear of what would happen next.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Its pretty late and I don't think I have too much to say here...**

**Ah, yes! I have developed and begun planning for (and have already planned much of) a new story once I finish this trilogy. (If that day ever comes xD) I may even start and do both, but don't count on that. Its more likely after I reach a certain point in this one, but still not very likely. I think some people might like it, who knows? Its different from the Trilogy, but I really like the idea.**

**Lost**


	4. Chapter 3

It was cold and utterly silent. Greysight could feel nothing, could hear nothing; there wasn't even a breeze of wind in the air. She shook her head and carefully pawed at the space around her, but there was no grass, or stone, or anything remotely tangible nearby. Was she dreaming? She didn't remember falling asleep. There was a meeting, and she had told the others that Lostheart wanted to keep her name, but after that...her memory was cloudy.

The fur on Greysight's neck began to stand on end as she felt a chill run down her spine, a chill that couldn't possibly have been caused from any real cold- Wherever she was, it was completely sterile. She had to be dreaming, there was no other explanation. She couldn't have possibly just lost all her senses. The idea seemed ridiculous, but the fact that it had even crossed her mind only proved she had considered it. But if she was dreaming, why was it so dark?

Was it even dark at all, or was she blind here? The black she-cat couldn't be sure. She had wanted to speak to Mosspelt...That was it! She remembered, yes; Greysight's tail tip twitched as the fog in her mind suddenly began to clear. It was late after the meeting, so they had all turned in for the night; after what Lostheart told her, she went to sleep in hope of seeing Mosspelt in her dreams. She had never actually tried to summon the clan's previous medicine cat by herself before, and now she only felt more confused and-though she was too prideful to admit it out loud-scared.

Greysight's senses were everything to her. Because she couldn't see, she relied a lot more on her sense of smell, touch, and hearing than any other cat. Without them she felt completely vulnerable.

This place was nothing like the sparkling forest she had so often seen when meeting Mosspelt before, this place was dark; it reminded her of her old nightmares... But those had stopped a long time ago; besides, something always happened. Nothing was happening in this place. It was dark, quiet, scentless, and textureless. Snorting inwardly, Greysight wondered if this was what her normal dreams were supposed to be like. If so, she wasn't very creative.

Every time she met Mosspelt, it almost seemed like the she-cat became more and more distant and was trying to push her away. Then again- Mosspelt had said reaching her was difficult, but why? The former medicine cat certainly hadn't gone into any detail.

Well, if Mosspelt wouldn't come to her, then she would just have to find the medicine cat by herself.

Greysight cautiously took a single, aimless step forward; and after she dubbed it okay to continue, she shook her fur off lightly continued. One paw after the other, Greysight began to gain confidence with each step she took into what seemed like oblivion.

Narrowing her eyes, Greysight squinted ahead to see what looked like a dash of red standing out against the darkness. She was immediately drawn toward it, but as she came closer, a small frown made its way across her features.

She no longer wanted to go that way.

As Greysight moved to turn away from the abnormality, her body became paralyzed, even the beating of her heart ceased for what seemed like a split second and she once again found herself holding her breath.

Blood.

Except, unlike the small splatter now laying behind her, this blood grew into a long trail that stretched out and expanded, staining the surface of the darkness around her. It grew wider in the distance, and from where she stood, she could make out the forms of dark shapes lying in the pool. Greysight snapped her eyes shut, not wanting to see any of this.

In response to her actions, Greysight could feel the blood beginning to rise around her, and already she could feel the warm, sticky liquid seeping into her fur. Horror gripped at the she-cat as the scent suddenly erupted in her nostrils, but she knew trying to move was pointless. She was trapped, and there was nothing she could do.

Greysight clenched her blind eyes harder, trying desperately to stop her shaking paws. Blood was something she was used to as a warrior, but so much was overwhelming, it was going to swallow her up whole!

Greysight pulled hopelessly at her paws, but she could not lift them; and as the blood began to rise, Greysight stretched with all her effort to keep herself above it. She was almost completely submerged now as the blood came up to her neck and, clenching her eyes shut, Greysight waited to become submerged by the horrid liquid...

"-Greysight? Greysight?"

Greysight took a deep breath before the blood overcame her, and she could hear nothing but the pounding of her own blood in her ears as...

"GREYSIGHT!"

With a jolt and a deep gasp for air, clouded eyes snapped open; it was still dark, but Greysight soon realized that there was nothing but open air surrounding her. All sign and scent of blood were gone, and her pelt was completely dry and clean.

Taking a moment to let out a breath and calm her pounding heart, Greysight allowed herself to relax. It was just a nightmare, thank StarClan.

Moonfur and Lostheart exchanged a brief glance before Moonfur spoke again. "You were thrashing about in your sleep... You kicked me twice you know." she added, licking her chest fur in disdain. Lostheart, however, was a bit more concerned. It had been a horrifying sight watching Greysight like that, like she was utterly terrified; it made her wonder what had caused it.

"Are you okay?" Lostheart meowed carefully. "You looked like you were having some sort of nightmare..."

At this Greysight was quiet for a moment, her head was tilted toward the ground as if the she-cat was deep in thought. "Yeah...it was."

"What was it about?" Moonfur asked with growing interest. Greysight stood up and shook a few pieces of grass from her pelt that had become lodged in with all her movement. In an effort to make her fur lie flat again, she gave a few quick licks to her shoulder to calm her ruffled black fur, slicking it back down against her.

"I don't know. Something weird," Greysight lied, "I can't even remember much of it now." For some reason she didn't feel comfortable telling the others, it was embarrassing enough that they had seen her. She had been trying to keep her dreams a secret for the longest time, but luck was never on her side was it?

"Well, you should take Warpaw out for the day. He's already excited enough about the Gathering, it'd be good to have him release some of that energy." Moonfur chuckled lightly. "He's already been an apprentice for quite a while, you'd think going to the Gathering would lose its appeal."

"I was planning on it anyway." Greysight responded, "As for the appeal, I think every clan is interested in seeing how TreeClan is being run. We don't want a repeat performance now do we?"

Moonfur gave Greysight a sort of half smile despite knowing the she-cat couldn't see it. "I'm going to hunt, I'm starving. I thought I might try the river today, you never know." After having lived in DarkClan for a while now, the DarkClan cats had taught Moonfur to swim and fish; it was difficult at first because it was never something she had to deal with in the mountains, but she actually enjoyed swimming. The wet fur could be a pain afterwards, but it felt nice in the water.

Greysight gave an amused snort, "Don't fall in!" she teased. Moonfur gave a light-hearted scoff and turned to walk out of the den. She knew Greysight knew nothing about what had happened a while ago, but Lostheart did, and it made her feel uncomfortable to have it brought up. Especially around the red-eyed she-cat. It made her feel guilty, embarrassed, and just...pathetic.

Moonfur padded out of the warriors den; Greysight moved to follow after her, but stopped when Lostheart approached her. The scarred, black she-cat seemed a bit worried, though it did not show much in her expression, Greysight had gotten better at reading what she felt through other's movements. Greysight herself felt a small twinge of worry. Was Lostheart going to question her about her dream?

"What did they say?" Lostheart meowed.

Greysight was caught off guard for a moment after her expectation turned out to be wrong, but she quickly remembered the events of the other day and was able to calm herself shortly. "I told them that you were going to keep your name; I decided not to mention the lives, we don't want to upset anybody, and it won't hurt anybody if they don't know."

"I suppose..." Lostheart replied warily. A part of her was glad Greysight hadn't told them about her experience with StarClan, but it didn't feel right for the others to think she had more lives than they did- But, as Greysight said, it didn't really matter too much. Maybe it was even better this way...or so she tried to tell herself. It didn't feel right to withhold the truth, but Lostheart decided it was better than the alternative. They would continue to do things as they were doing before, she wasn't going to place herself above anyone else on some sort of leader pedestal.

"Thanks, Greysight."

Greysight grinned at Lostheart and flickered her tail, "Don't mention it,"

Lostheart examined the shorter black she-cat standing in front of her strangely. Why was Greysight so calm about everything? Didn't it bother her to know that she was... StarClan had practically denounced her. Why was Greysight acting like everything was normal, like she was normal?

"We're friends, that's what we do."

Lostheart blinked, broken from her thoughts as Greysight began to leave the warriors den, she quickly picked up her pace to walk beside the blind she-cat as they stepped out into the dull light of day in DarkClan territory. The sun wasn't out completely, but it was lighter than usual; it looked like a good sign.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING, HERE's THE DEAL:**

**This chapter was going to be longer, but I felt so bad for not updating so I posted what I had. It is the end of the year and I am super busy. This is the reason I was originally going to wait a while for Book 3, but I thought I could handle it and started it anyway- I was wrong. ALSO, I would have notified you guys sooner BUT it is against fanfiction rules to post anything other than a chapter, otherwise bad things so I couldn't make any sort of update post. Business comes with general work, SAT coming up, AP exams, Finals, and etc; in fact, I have a research paper that I need to do by this weekend, so that's not fun at all. I will continue to work on my story following after the date of June 1st. I am sorry for keeping all of you waiting, and I am also sorry for extending the waiting period. It was my mistake to think I could handle it all :I .Hopefully some of you are still following.**

**-Lost**


	5. Chapter 4

Greysight, Lostheart, and Moonfur each parted ways after exiting the warrior's den. Both Greysight and Moonfur wanted to take their apprentices out for some training during the day so that they could do something useful with their time before the Gathering. Their absence left Lostheart standing alone in the center of the camp; for a moment, she simply observed the forest and the camp as she pondered what to do. Hunting would be a good way to take up her time, but Thistleprick had taken Goldenpaw out on hunting patrol- There was always border patrol, but Darkpelt had seemed pretty adamant about going alone the other day. The flecked warrior had been in a strange mood lately; however, the cause was obvious. He was still trying to accept the death of his brother. Letting go wasn't easy, Lostheart herself knew the feeling all too well- But she also knew that letting go completely was impossible.

Thinking of Browneyes left Lostheart with a great feeling of emptiness; in an attempt to clear her mind, she decided to go to the medicine cat den. It wasn't good to dwell on sadness or events of the past. Lostheart had no particular reason to go to the medicine cat den, in fact, it was not a place she frequented all that often, but she felt like checking in on her sister all the same.

The black she-cat padded toward the large, stone structure that was the medicine cat den and let herself in. As always, the heavy scent of herbs was potent in the air, but the scent was refreshing. After spending so much time in a rotting forest, one often forgot what fresh herbs smelled like. Wetpaw's eyes immediately snapped to Lostheart upon her entrance, he had been shuffling around in the den on his own, but her sudden arrival caused the apprentice to nearly jump out of his skin. Lostheart's gaze darted around the stone den, but neither Roseclaw nor Mintpaw were in at the moment, it was just Wetpaw. Lostheart felt a bit disappointed, but there was really no reason to be; they would be back eventually.

Despite not normally being one for conversation, Lostheart found herself turning her attention onto Wetpaw, one of Moonfur's sons and Roseclaw's second medicine cat apprentice.

"Hello, Wetpaw. How are you?"

The young striped tom's eyes were as wide as the moon, and despite his overall stillness, it seemed as if the assorted brown flecks and stripes on his pelt were shaking.

"I...I'm fine." Wetpaw managed. The apprentice's eyes began to dart around as he grew uncomfortable under Lostheart's stare. "Roseclaw and Mintpaw went out. They said they had to...collect. Herbs and things..you know."

Lostheart nodded. "Any idea when they'll be back?"

Wetpaw looked as if he were being cornered by a fox. Lostheart was used to getting this reaction from other cats, but it was different this time because she knew that her appearance and demeanor was not what bothered him. Granted he probably was afraid of her to some degree, Wetpaw was simply jumpy cat by nature. Lostheart couldn't recall coming across another cat so constantly full of worry and fear.

"When they'll be back?" he stuttered. "I..I don't know when they'll be back. Roseclaw didn't tell me,Mintpawdidn' 'tknow,I' 'velistenedorasked."

Wetpaw's response came out as a rapid muttering of words; fortunately for him, Lostheart was one of the few who was able to understand the tom when he spoke in what seemed to be his own fast-paced language.

"Its fine." Lostheart meowed, effectively stopping the tom in his babbling. Wetpaw quieted instantly and shrunk back a bit, muttering what might've been another quick apology. The atmosphere surrounding the two cats in the medicine cat grew quiet and awkward; and Lostheart, not completely sure of what else to say, turned to leave. Before she could, however, Roseclaw and Mintpaw suddenly entered the den. Lostheart hadn't heard or sensed their approach because she had been so wrapped up in her own mind and the awkwardness surrounding her and Wetpaw.

Large blue orbs blinked in surprise as Roseclaw saw her sibling standing with Wetpaw. Mintpaw blinked her own cool, green eyes in greeting and padded to the back of the den to put away the herbs she had carried back with her. Roseclaw brightened up almost immediately, an action which seemed to help pacify the anxious young tom standing before her.

"Lostheart, what a pleasant surprise." she greeted. "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine." Lostheart meowed, beginning to feel uncomfortable under Roseclaw's intense gaze. "I just wanted to see what was going on with you guys, everyone else is out at the moment. It'll still be a little while before sundown, so there's plenty of time before the Gathering." In actuality, she had felt like talking to her sister. While she had sat alone in the camp, watching the trees as their leaves were tussled by the wind, she had felt strangely...lonely.

Silence always caused her to be consumed by her own thoughts, bringing up painful memories, important reminders, and oftentimes strange musings. While it was true that the clan seemed more united than they ever had been under Sunstar's leadership, everyone still seemed rather separated. Maybe it was just her.

The feeling of loneliness, and the memories of her kithood, those are what had sparked this sudden desire to see her sister- Just to be able to bring back some sort of remnant of that time, their time as kits. She had simply wanted to be with her sister, to rekindle some of their old bond, they did have one once...didn't they?

"Are you sure?" Roseclaw meowed, tilting her slightly.

Behind the two contrasting pelts of the sisters, Mintpaw had pulled Wetpaw over to join her in sorting the herbs, easily distracting the young tom. Mintpaw's kindness and gentle nature was good for him, Roseclaw knew that Mintpaw would be a wonderful mentor herself one day.

"Yes, I'm positive." Lostheart paused for a moment as she met Roseclaw's blue eyes, and suddenly, she didn't feel like talking anymore. "I just wanted you to give me an update on the apprentices' progress."

"Sure." Roseclaw meowed, smiling as she looked back at the two young cats in question. Her whiskers twitched happily for a moment before the she-cat grew quiet. Lostheart waited for a moment, and spoke up when Roseclaw had yet to reply, turning to look back at the apprentices as well before returning her gaze to Roseclaw.

"Well?"

"Hm?" Roseclaw turned her gaze onto Lostheart.

"Their progress, you were going to tell me about Mintpaw and Wetpaw's training." Lostheart responded impassively.

"Oh, right." Roseclaw meowed, laughing lightly as she ran a snowy, white paw over one ear. "As you know, Mintpaw has completed her training. We're going to announce it to the others tonight at the Gathering, then we'll hold her ceremony during the next half moon; won't Greysight be proud! Wetpaw is doing fine, I think Mintpaw's presence helps him a lot. He doesn't have a lot of confidence, and that worries me, but I'm sure in time he'll grow out of it. He is able to remember herbs and apply the proper techniques well enough, he just constantly is second guessing himself. I don't think he's ready for the Gathering just yet, but he'll definitely be accompanying us to the Moonstool for Mintpaw's ceremony."

* * *

Greysight forced her paws to a stop, allowing her to twist her body in single fluid motion and dance around Warpaw as he attempted to take her down. The young tom was caught slightly off guard by her swift movement and tried to do the same himself in an effort to be on equal ground, one should never leave their back turned on the enemy.

Greysight smiled out of the sheer excitement of battle, glad to have her body moving once more and glad to be away from any thoughts on her dreams. Warpaw was a decent fight, from the beginning she had seen that her apprentice had great potential, and he was already coming along far better than she had expected. Greysight wasn't one to be impressed easily, Warpaw definitely had talent. The young black and gray tom was very serious, listening to her each and every word; a perfectionist who never failed to accomplish the challenges he was given. That being said, Greysight saw no reason to go easy on him; it was her job to prepare him for battles in the future to protect their clan, and she couldn't very well do that while acting like the tom's mother now could she?

Unfortunately for Warpaw, Greysight felt his shift in movement immediately and moved in the other direction; he wasn't fast enough to catch her in the process, so when she landed a blow on his side, it was hardly a surprise. Warpaw staggered clumsily after the brunt of the hit and while he was off balance, Greysight pinned him to the ground. The young tom struggled for a bit and attempted to shove her off, but Greysight's grip was absolute it would seem. She was completely focused today.

Finally, Warpaw gave up in his efforts and Greysight, feeling his body's relaxation, backed off to let the tom back onto his paws.

"That was good." Greysight meowed, shooting her apprentice an approving grin. "-But you shouldn't give up so easily. Giving up could mean death, not only for you but for your clanmates as well." She flicked him on the shoulder with the tip of her tail. "There's always a way to escape another cat, you just need to figure it out. Observing your enemy and what you're up against can really help with that. Sometimes the strongest warriors are the ones with the strongest minds, don't let a cat's size fool you. Underestimating an enemy can be the worst thing you'll ever do, it might even be the last one."

Warpaw didn't appear to be dejected or let down at all and listened seriously to her words. "But how can you tell?" he asked.

Greysight opened her mouth, then closed it as she thought for a second. How to explain? She was sure it was different for every cat, plus she knew her disadvantage made it a bit different for her in particular.

"It comes with experience." she answered finally. Warpaw nodded, but the apprentice didn't seem to be completely fulfilled by her answer. Greysight took a seat and licked one of her paws absentmindedly to brush the dirt of her pelt. "Well, look at your clanmates for example. I've been around them since I grew up, I know each of their fighting styles, but it isn't a hard thing to guess when you take into account their build and personality."

Warpaw scooted forward a bit, clearly interested in their new conversation at hand. Greysight grinned and lay her paw back down. "Take your mother for example," she started, "When I first met her I was a bit caught off by her fighting style because she grew up in a place with training and techniques different from our own, but I was able to beat her simply because I paid attention- Let me tell you a secret."

Greysight leaned in closer as if to increase the suspense. "If you can make an impact on your opponent through your words, you can pretty much control their actions, basically giving you complete control of the battle."

"Come on," she continued, "Its getting late, the Gathering is going to be held soon and I know you don't want to miss that."

Warpaw padded ahead to join her as the two cats made their way out of the training hollow and back to camp. The soft, orange light of sundown spotted the earth as snippets of light were able to break through the canopy of thick trees in DarkClan's territory. He was content and feeling energized after the spar with Greysight. She was, in his opinion, the strongest cat in their clan- though he wouldn't like to be set against any of the senior warriors. If a blind she-cat could become a powerful warrior, then he could too. All it took was hard work and determination like Greysight said; Warpaw was certain that even now he had already surpassed his siblings under Greysight's tutelage, and he couldn't wait to show off his moves.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**It is June! And as promised this story is now off hiatus. I'm sorry about the wait, I know it probably sucked and you've forgotten a lot by now, but I will strive to continue. Its hard to jump back into something after not doing it for a while, as I'm sure you all probably know, but I'll try my best to get back into gear.**

**Lost**

**P.S I have another story in the making right now too, so if you're interested you should check it out!**


	6. Chapter 6

As it turned out, everyone had decided to come along for the Gathering. Wetpaw couldn't stay in the camp alone, though he wanted to. He was walking near Roseclaw and his mother, and while he did look a bit anxious, Lostheart knew he would like the Gathering- To some degree at least. She was never a big fan of the Gathering herself. It was important for the clans of course, communication was key, but for her, it wasn't much. Not many cats from other clans chose to approach her, it wasn't like she had acquaintances from other parts of the forest.

The apprentices were chatting a bit amongst themselves, but everyone was rather quiet. Not an awkward, tense quiet, but a calm one. Everyone seemed to be fairly relaxed, and if they weren't, they were going a good job of hiding it. Lostheart couldn't deny she was a bit anxious for the Gathering; the other clans will have expected them to have appointed a new deputy and leader by now, how would they react to DarkClan's decision? Not well. When a group of cats has been living a certain way for so long, its harder for them to accept change. Change leads to the unknown, and that is what they truly fear. Its what every single one of them feared, even if they might not know it themselves.

Lostheart didn't fear change; it could go either way, true, but sometimes it was for the better. The other clans would just have to find a way to accept their decision. What could they do otherwise? The entire forest had just come out of a great battle and were living in a brief period of peace, no cat would want to be the one to disrupt that by challenging DarkClan. Besides, what would fighting accomplish anyway? Forcing them into submission? That would be the same thing Willowstar had been doing, and would essentially mean one clan being led by another. The clan leaders were fair-minded though, Lostheart doubted all three would openly oppose and come against them.

Still, DarkClan had to be aware of that possibility, and if it did come to that then... maybe it was time they moved on. They had addressed the possibility before, before the fight with TreeClan, back then it was mainly Sunstar and clan pride that had kept them in the forest. It would pain her as much as it would her clanmates to leave their home, but it might come to that one day. What would happen when the forest dies completely and the prey move on? There would be no where left for them to go in the valley, no more place for them.

Another change, another change to be feared. She wouldn't deny feeling a bit afraid of the idea herself, but they had cats who had been out in the world: Moonfur, Thistleprick, Raggedear, and they had each other. Loners and rogues certainly couldn't say the same.

Lostheart looked ahead at the four great oak trees as their group slipped into the grass and out of the shelter of the dark forest. The moon was almost in the center of the sky now, and all the stars of Silverpelt had already come out to welcome them. She could see Wetpaw's head tilted back to look at the stars, gazing in wonder at the small lights said to mark each and every one of their ancestors. This was Wetpaw's first time at a Gathering, first time out of camp really, and his first time to actually see the sky fully. Their territory shielded them from the sun and sky, but out here in the field, it was open and free.

Lostheart noted the several small clusters of stars, and the stars that seemed to be off on their own, or sitting side-by-side. Her mother had left and gone out into the world once; she couldn't remember exactly what she had been told as a kit, but she remembered being told how different it was, and how vast. Surely she would be able to find someplace out there.

Lostheart slipped in after her clanmates into the clearing area, not at all surprised to see the other clans already gathered. She had already heard and scented them upon their approach. As they did in custom, the clan began to disperse a bit into the large crowd of mixed clan cats, eager to speak to friends or hear of news from the other clans. Moonfur's kits immediately scampered over to where a large group of apprentices were gathered to speak to their friends from other clans.

Lostheart was distracted briefly as she felt a brush on her shoulder and turned to meet Roseclaw who nodded to her briefly before leading Wetpaw and Mintpaw past Lostheart and toward where the medicine cats gathered- Likely to announce Mintpaw's coming ceremony and Wetpaw's introduction.

Lostheart, herself, normally chose to hang back and simply observe the others, picking up on small bits of conversation and details here and there. She glanced up at the Great Rock to where the three clan leaders already stood, waiting for gathering to begin. Someone had to tell them... they were probably waiting for the DarkClan leader.

* * *

Greysight had sent Warpaw off with the other apprentices and found a spot for herself back in the grass, trying to ignore the twitching of her pelt. Moonfur soon came to join her after meowing a greeting to Hawkmask, the OceanClan deputy whom she had become acquaintances with since her first Gathering. Raggedear and Thistleprick came next and sat by them; together they sat as a group, missing only the company of Darkpelt and Lostheart.

The two warriors in question were not far and intended to join their clanmates, but Lostheart padded up to Darkpelt before he took to joining them, an action that the tom did not seem to be expecting.

A silence overcame the two as Darkpelt waited for her to speak, assuming she had approached him with something to say. Dark, impassive blue eyes met mismatched ones evenly, unperturbed by the familiar deep red and icy blue irises. Lostheart looked back toward the leader's rock, causing Darkpelt's eyes to flicker in that direction as well, having a pretty good guess as to what was going on.

"I'm going to go tell Brisingstar, Morningstar, and Thrushstar about our decision now. Would you let the others know, and tell them to save a spot for me?" Lostheart asked.

Had he been a more expressive tom, Lostheart might've seen the tom react with surprise; that wasn't what he had expected at all...

"Are you sure you should be the one to do it?" Darkpelt meowed, albeit a bit gruffly while he moved his head slightly to look back at them.

Although Darkpelt did not say anything directly, Lostheart understood what he meant and it did not deter her at that moment. "Yes." Yes she knew who she was, yes she knew of her reputation amongst the clans, yes she knew of her strange eyes and ugly scar- She knew how other cats viewed her, and she didn't particularly enjoy engaging other cats in conversation, but this was something for her to do. It was her idea, and her clanmates. If anyone was to face the other clan leaders in their anger, she would do it.

Lostheart turned away from Darkpelt and began to walk through the crowd. As she went the cats began to naturally part and turn away from the she-cat, some even stopped in their conversations to stare at the she-cat. No one had ever seen her in the crowd before, she had always kept to the outskirts and now this sudden change was beginning to unnerve some cats. Lostheart didn't pay them any mind, but as she glided forward past the apprentices something caught her eye. There was an apprentice staring directly at her, mouth clenched tightly. He almost looked caught between a mixture of fear and anger, and he was focused on her entirely.

Lostheart, however, never ceased in her pawsteps and as she passed by, her eyes moved to focus on the apprentice. He froze as he realized he had been caught and met the she-cat's notorious eyes.

Lostheart looked quickly away and stepped up to the base of the Great Rock where the clan leaders had already recognized her arrival. They too exchanged glances for a moment, perhaps sharing the very same thought.

Most cats were caught up in their conversations, but a few had turned to watch the sight of the black she-cat with the clan leaders, whispering to one another.

Moonfur, Raggedear, Thistleprick, and Darkpelt also kept their eyes on the Great Rock, waiting for a reaction from the clan leaders. Greysight sat with an unreadable expression, waiting, listening, thinking.

They watched as Lostheart dipped her head respectfully in greeting and began to speak. For a moment Brisingstar, Morningstar, and Thrushstar did not look deterred at all, but their expressions quickly changed to those of confusion. Brisingstar asked a question. Morningstar looked between the two cats and added something of her own. Lostheart spoke again, only to be cut off by Thrushstar as the longhair joined in on the conversation. The leaders looked toward one another and began talking, asking questions and turning toward Lostheart all at once.

The black she-cat slowly blinked and said something shortly to the leaders, who could only stand dumbfounded as she meowed her final words and turned away, making her way back down the Great Rock.

The clan leaders were left alone on the rock and they soon grouped up talking rapidly among one another with apparent vitality. Brisingstar shook his head and muttered something to the other leaders before he face the crowd and let out a yowl, signaling the start of the meeting. The talking soon quieted to whispers and all attention was focused on the Clan leaders.

Lostheart had made her way back to her clanmates during this time and took a spot beside Greysight, whose ears had perked up and were now pointed straight toward the Great Rock. The others looked to Lostheart for a minute; Thistleprick appeared nervous, while Darkpelt was questioning. Moonfur was curious about what Lostheart had said, and what the she-cat was thinking, while Raggedear had a furrowed expression on his face.

"Cats of all Clans, welcome to the Gathering. StarClan has given us a beautiful night and a clear moon to grace the sky, much as it has been since after the battle. This is our fourth Gathering since, and I believe we have all restored our clans and helped each other well. I thank you all for your work and determination to bring our home back to what it once was. I would like to begin the Gathering by telling you all of what I have just only become aware." Brisingstar looked toward the back of the clearing where the group of DarkClan warriors sat.

"DarkClan has decided, it would seem, that they will not appoint a new leader, or a deputy." For once, raucous objections and violent outbursts did not come from the crowd; the cats merely sat, watching the OceanClan leader with confused, faces. Some cats did turn to speak to one another, scrunching up their faces in what would either be disbelief or distaste. One cat finally did speak up, a creamy she-cat from LightClan stood amongst her clanmates and addressed the clan leaders boldly from the crowd.

"What does that mean? You can't have a clan with no clan leader! Its...Its the code, its tradition- Its the way StarClan decreed."

Morningstar stepped forward, recognizing her clanmate in the crowd; the she-cat faced everyone with an air of calm, only increasing their incredulity. Many cats had taken to looking to the sky, searching for a response from StarClan, a sign of their anger. But the sky this night was clear and quiet.

"I cannot say how DarkClan will operate, as it is no other clan's business, the inner workings of their clan. I have, however, been assured that all is well and that DarkClan knows what it is doing. Though I do not agree with this decision, it is not my place to intrude on the affairs of another clan, that is for StarClan to decide."

Thrushstar appeared uncertain where he stood beside Morningstar, but the newly appointed leader did not bother intervening, a smart choice on his behalf. Perhaps it was still a bit too soon for TreeClan.

Brisingstar listened as Morningstar relayed her thoughts on the subject, and only when she had finished did he speak again. "I do have a question for DarkClan." His eyes fell on the small group at the back of the clearing, barely even a group at all anymore. "Who will represent and speak for the clan at Gatherings?"

Heads turned and cats twisted to get a look at the DarkClan cats, waiting for the answer that Brisingstar was searching for. Lostheart, Greysight, and Darkpelt remained fairly impassive to the stares, while Moonfur, Raggedear, and Thistleprick had taken to looking toward their clanmates, in hopes that one of them might have the answer.

"I will."

The sound came from the largest of the group, a tom that cats of all clans had come to recognize. Darkpelt of DarkClan, one of the clan's most noted warriors, the tom was never hard to spot with his stark white pelt, black flecks, and intense blue eyes. His clanmates glanced at him from either side, but no one said anything to protest his claim.

Brisingstar lifted his chin and stepped back from the edge of the Great Rock, apparently content to have received his answer. From then on, the Gathering went on as it normally did, but cats were distracted by this new change of events, this new change in culture. From that point on during the Gathering, all cats seemed to be focused on the tiny group of DarkClan, whispering amongst each other in hushed tones, asking questions.

Why? Where was StarClan? Could they do that? A few harsh statements were even muttered against a few of the older warriors, mutterings of how DarkClan could hardly even be considered a clan anymore; what with all their rogues and small number, and now they were rejecting the code as well. Some even wondered if it was rogue influence, but others had set their sights on a particular cat in DarkClan, one that was far too suspicious to ignore. They had watched her speak to the clan leaders, an abnormal act; the demon cat of DarkClan, Lostheart, she seemed to be the cat troubling the minds of all in the clearing that night.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**I didn't go back to read over this, so wooo.**

**Lost**


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as the Gathering was at an end, the clans met up and each went their own way, returning to their territories. Most of DarkClan was already waiting in the back of the clearing. They watched the others leave, waiting for the rest of their clanmates to return. It didn't take long for the apprentices to scamper over, or for Roseclaw and her apprentices to meet up with them after saying their farewells. Lostheart had taken to watching the crowd, watching the other clans depart. Almost all had dispersed and disappeared into the night, and as she turned to look at the last few TreeClan cats leaving the clearing, she caught sight of the apprentice from earlier.

"Come on," Greysight meowed, "Let's go."

With everyone together, the smaller clan descended back toward the shadowy woods they called home. It wasn't too long of a walk through the grassy plain to get there, but it was a nice night, so no one really minded. That might've just been the strangest thing of all actually, it was a nice night. Not a single cloud lay hidden in the night sky, no wind, no rain, no thunder. StarClan had given no sign at all at the Gathering; did this mean they accepted DarkClan's decision?

Greysight walked beside Moonfur and Lostheart, with Roseclaw bordering close by their side. Lostheart watched her silently, curiously. The blind she-cat had been unusually pensive lately, and more distracted than anything. She put on a good show acting like nothing was wrong to her apprentice and the others, but Lostheart had not forgotten the nightmare. If something was bothering the she-cat, Lostheart believed it was an accurate assumption to think that the nightmare was the cause. Greysight seemed reluctant to talk about it though; the question was why? Was it a sensitive subject, or did it really just bother her that much that she didn't want to think or talk about it?

"Darkpelt, are you sure you want to speak at the Gatherings?" Moonfur meowed, unexpectedly addressing the tom as she turned to glance over her shoulder at the group of males walking behind the apprentices. Her shaded eyes naturally drifted toward Raggedear for a second, noting the disheveled tom's jaded being. Raggedear blinked and seemed to notice her gaze, to which she could only glance awkwardly away, not wanting to be caught staring. She was just worried about him.

She knew that she had feelings for the tom, though a part of her felt guilty for admitting it. But she couldn't help caring. He was kind and gentle, and though his physical appearance may have been a bit mangy, it suited him in an odd way. Moonfur could never forget how amazing a mentor he was to Amberpaw; he had almost given up his life to save her, thought there was nothing forcing him to. Like her, he had been a rogue, and he knew what it was like. It was something they had both gone through, but despite that, it always amazed her how selfless he was. She certainly hadn't been the most pleasant cat in the world during that time... But everything Raggedear did was for other cats, and for his brother. She had always been selfish, closed off from the world, not caring about anyone or anything but herself and her own goals...

Moonfur smiled a bit to herself. He reminded her a bit of Ice, though the two were entirely different toms. Maybe, it was because they made her feel the same... But she still couldn't help feeling that she wasn't ready to move on just yet.

She got the feeling that Raggedear was avoiding her. After they had started becoming closer, he had suddenly made himself more distant, and now she felt that they weren't as close as before. And it pained her. He probably felt uncomfortable after finding out she had a mate in the past, and the arrival of her kits probably hadn't helped the matter. Maybe he just wasn't interested, maybe he never was; maybe she had been stupid to think he might return her feelings, or at the very least want to get closer to her.

"Why not?" Thistleprick butted in. "Someone has to do it, and its not like its a hard job. Ya go up there, you say how the prey's running, and if anything has happened, seen any foxes- whatever, and that's it."

Darkpelt didn't look too pleased at having the calico answer for him and looked as if he was going to berate the tom when Roseclaw slowed down her pace to walk closer to them, cutting him off yet again with her own statement.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Thistleprick's right. Besides, there's not much to say, not usually. I trust that Darkpelt will be able to manage just fine."

"Wait- I'm right? How about that? Looks like you and I are finally starting to think on the same wavelength here, Rosie." Thistleprick sent a grin in the fluffy, white she-cat's direction. She looked annoyed, but she didn't bother replying, most likely because Thistleprick was right, just as she had stated.

Moonfur peered back over her shoulder still looking a bit conflicted. "Still," she said, "You could've at least consulted the rest of us without making such a big decision on your own, isn't that the point of being in a clan?"

"Consult when? There was not time, and no one else seemed to be speaking up. You have no right to talk about what it means to be in a clan, you weren't raised in one. No matter how hard you might try to pretend, you're still just a rogue in the eyes of this forest." Darkpelt replied harshly, eyes darkening at Moonfur's back. The pale she-cat had gone quiet, to which Darkpelt took as defeat. Raggedear glanced at Darkpelt from where he walked beside his brother.

Lostheart sighed inwardly from where she walked beside Greysight at the head of the group. "Its fine. It doesn't matter who reports at the Gathering, if anyone has a problem then they can get over it. What's done is done, there's no point in snapping at each other. Moonfur is just as much a part of this clan as you are, Darkpelt, or any of us for that matter."

Lostheart was right, though no one felt the need to admit it out loud.

They were at the forest now and passed through the outer wall of trees, traveling deeper into their territory and toward the camp they called home.

* * *

It was a strange smell, unlike anything she had experienced before. At first she was drawn in by its strangeness, but the air soon became thick and heavy, and breathing was becoming more and more difficult.

Greysight tried to find her way out of the darkness, out of the thick cloud that prevented her from breathing properly, but she could find none. Coughs racked her body, and her breath came only in short gasps now as she attempted to find some place free of the poisonous air.

A loud creak and a mighty moan sounded from the darkness, and the ground began to shake around her. Out of the darkness, the trunk of a large tree came into view, crashing toward her. Greysight only had seconds to dash out of the way as the massive trunk collapsed into the dark with a mighty rumble, shaking her entire body. A sudden light erupted from the tree, unlike anything the blind she-cat had ever seen. It lit up the darkness with a harsh warmth, and seemed to be dancing. The heat was so close, she could almost feel it burning her face, and she had to squint her eyes just to look at it. The light was... devouring the tree. It grew bigger and bigger, spreading on the black ground beneath her paws, coming towards her.

A new feeling of terror overcame Greysight at the unnatural sight. It was almost familiar, but she couldn't figure out what it was, and that scared her. It was devouring each and every tree that collapsed in it's path... would it eventually overcome her too? The light crackled and danced in the darkness, heating the air with tiny sparks that floated about, singing her pelt.

Greysight turned away from the rapidly approaching light to make a run for it, but she was stopped in her tracks by a figure blocking her path, as well as burning debris at all sides. Loud, horrible screaming sounded through the darkness above the crackling and popping flames. Greysight watched, frozen in place as a figure, completely overtaken by the fire screamed in agony, burning.

Greysight clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop the threat of tears, trying not to hear the cries of sheer pain, torture. More than anything she wanted it to stop, it had to stop. This was her dream, she controlled it!

A muffled laughter sounded from the darkness beneath the wails and flames; a solitary voice was laughing.

Greysight shook her head, trying to will herself awake. The fire was closing in on all sides now, and she couldn't bear the sight of what she was watching. Why would she see this? Why was this being shown to her? The laughter became louder and louder, filling her ears entirely along with the screams of the she-cat.

"Stop!"


	8. Chapter 8

Greysight awoke with sharp, quick breathing and pounding heart. She had to grit her teeth to suppress the sound of a small sob and attempt to calm her shaking body. Her eyes burned from the memory of the sight. A sudden touch near her side caused the she-cat to pull herself up, jumping at the sudden contact.

All was quiet, and Greysight could do nothing but try to calm herself.

"Greysight..."

The voice was Lostheart's, soft and familiar in the blind she-cat's habitual state of sightlessness. Greysight wanted to avoid questions, to tell Lostheart that nothing was wrong, but she knew that should she try to speak, she would only end up breaking down like a pathetic, little kit.

Lostheart's eyes drifted to the other cats' nests, fortunately many of them were out at the moment for whatever reason. Darkpelt, Raggedear, and Moonfur's nests were empty. The only cat actually sleeping at the moment was Thistleprick, who was snoring soundly in the corner where he lay on his back, paws splayed in an awkward position that surely couldn't have been comfortable.

"I'm...I'm fine." Greysight managed, still trembling lightly, still trying to retain her dignity. She was tough and she was strong; she wouldn't let these nightmares keep doing this to her, it was the same each time.

The territory being torn apart by a storm, cats screaming as they tried to take shelter; a massive flood that drowned all in it's path; and the bright, ravaging flames of a fire, burning everything in sight: the forest...cats...her...

Lostheart glanced once more at Thistleprick to be sure their voices hadn't disturbed the tom. Then silently, she gestured for Greysight to follow her out of the den, also motioning to Thistleprick in the process. Greysight understood, having calmed down quite a bit, and followed Lostheart out into the camp and past it's walls. They stopped just outside of the thorny barrier, standing in the dark forestry of their territory, listening to the sound of the crickets chirping.

Greysight sat in silence, listening. She expected Lostheart to say something by now, to question her, but the black she-cat simply sat; perhaps listening as well. A small sigh left the she-cat's jaws, and Greysight felt her body deflate a bit in the process, but still, silence.

Greysight was never one for silence.

"It was another dream." she meowed plainly. The bugs continued to chirp, and the nighttime sounds of the forest came in full; had Greysight been able to see, she might've even spotted the flickering of lightning bugs as they floated around the forest floor and rotting tree trunks. "I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of them..."

"Why do you say that?" said Lostheart.

Greysight shrugged a bit. "They've just always been there, but they've never been this bad before. I see really horrible things. This time it was a fire...I think it was supposed to be the day I was born."

Lostheart listened intently, fully aware of the great fire that had occurred in DarkClan's past. She was only a tiny kit at the time, but all knew the story and what the fire had done to the forest. To this day, some trees still retained their burn marks, and some had never fully recovered. It was probably what contributed to the forest's poor state now, but it was funny, because you'd expect the forest to heal, for the fire to bring about new life. But it only seemed to have the opposite effect. It must have been a traumatic experience for Greysight as a kit to be dreaming about it now, especially since she was just a newborn at the time, and probably remembered none of it in any actuality.

Greysight's face suddenly became more confused, or rather, more tormented as she looked seemingly off into the distance to what Lostheart knew was nothing more than a permanent expanse of darkness for the she-cat.

"I watched the forest fall apart, saw the terrified faces of many cats, and I watched my mother burn. All the while I heard this voice, laughing. I don't know who or what it was, or if it was laughing at me...or the others."

Lostheart knew that Greysight's mother had died in that fire. She did now anyway, it all became clear when Longtail revealed the truth, and Greysight told her in turn. Windstream had been her mother's younger sister, her only sister. Everyone knew that she had died in the fire, but none had expected her kit to have been born. For whatever reason, because Lostheart still wasn't sure, Longtail had chosen not to tell anyone of Greysight's true parentage while she raised her as her own.

The oddly-eyed she-cat wasn't exactly sure what to do, or what to say. Words of comfort seemed to be the most common reaction, but what could she say? That she understood how it felt? That the dreams would go away one day? She couldn't do either of those things, not really. It would only be a lie. Instead, she could only offer what she had, and be grateful that Greysight had chosen to share this with her.

"When I was younger, I would dream of my mother's death, after it happened." Lostheart began quietly; talking about it still troubled her. "Even now I can still see them, her and that fox, but you have to understand something-"

Greysight turned to look sideways at Lostheart, pulling away from her focus on the forest, listening quietly, while inside she secretly hoped that the other she-cat could help. In what way, she didn't know, but she hated it. She hated these nightmares, anything that might help would be gladly accepted. They were horrible nightmares, dark and painful, and cruel.

"You control each and every one of your thoughts, and no one can ever change them for you. Only you can do that."

Greysight had a confused expression, to which Lostheart picked up on. The red-eyed she-cat gave a sort of bittersweet smile, a bit embarrassed to try and explain her own thoughts.

"Stop thinking and try to block the negative thoughts out, focus on something happier, or something that you maybe need to do. Find a new focus. If it bothers you so much, you shouldn't dwell on it; and maybe if you don't, the nightmares might stop... Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Lostheart asked, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Greysight was silent for a moment, but nodded. "Yeah, I think I do."

"You're only susceptible to influence if you allow yourself to be. No one can control you, but that doesn't mean you should allow fear to either. Dreams come from the mind you know..."

Greysight listened to the lightning bugs buzz around them in the forestry with a new set expression. "Thanks, Lostheart." It was funny how noisy their seemingly empty forest became at night; the fluttering of wings, the chirping of the bugs, even small noises of scrabbling in the undergrowth. Everything became apparent in the darkness. It was funny. Lostheart wondered if this was how Greysight always heard things, always in the dark.

Lostheart suddenly became alert, and she turned to see that Greysight had done the same beside her, for a loud rustling had caught their attention. Much larger than anything else had been in the peaceful continuance of the forest.

A figure burst forth from the undergrowth, causing both she-cats to leap to their paws; but it was not done in any defensive manner, for they had already recognized the scent. The cat jumped, perhaps startled by the sight of the two dark she-cats in the woods.

"Goldenpaw, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" Greysight meowed strongly, surprised at the sight of the apprentice's tenacity. "You should be in your den with the others, you know apprentices aren't supposed to be out this late."

Goldenpaw regained herself and stood up fully, shuffling her paws a bit. The warriors' strange, gleaming eyes were not hard to miss, and in the middle of the night it was quite a spooky sight. "I was just going for a walk." she meowed, shrinking a bit under the she-cats' gaze.

Greysight berated the apprentice with a firm look and stepped aside to let the apprentice by on her path back again. "Be glad I'm not going to tell your mother, she would have a fit. Don't let me catch you out here at night again, or it'll be your job to clean out the dirtplace."

Goldenpaw sunk a bit at the scolding but followed Greysight's instruction nonetheless, tail dragging behind her in embarrassment. Lostheart and Greysight watched as the tabby-patched apprentice slunk by. Her sudden appearance had effectively put an end to their conversation, but that was alright. It was getting late, and Greysight decided that she had a lot to think on.

* * *

Moonfur had returned from hunting patrol, pleased with their catch for the day. Two squirrels, and they were lucky enough to get a small fish too. She was getting better at that whole fishing thing. She, Goldenpaw and Warpaw had gone out together, eager to find food. It was important that Roseclaw, Mintpaw and Wetpaw had a good meal before their trip to the Moonstool.

Wetpaw seemed to be anxious about the trip, but Mintpaw had been talking about it for a while now. This medicine cat meeting, as it was, would be her final one as a medicine cat apprentice. Roseclaw and the rest of the clan had agreed that Mintpaw was finally ready to become a full fledged medicine cat and earn her full name. Moonfur smiled a bit at the thought, Greysight couldn't be happier.

Moonfur herself, however, was a bit concerned. Not for Mintpaw of course, but for her own son. She could see him in the shade of the medicine cat den from afar; the pale she-cat decided she might as well bring him his food now and talk to him. Raggedear stopped shortly by while she picked up a squirrel, and she turned to see him. But he quickly padded away after leaving a mouse on the dirt, he didn't even give her a chance to say hello.

Wetpaw, Raggedear... They only made her worry more, and it was the type of stomach churning worry you get when you're nervous, the type that never quite leaves until you're positive everything is okay.

With the squirrel between her jaws Moonfur padded to the medicine cat den, pleased to find that only Wetpaw was inside. He didn't jump at her entry because he had seen her coming, and the young tom actually appeared relieved to see his mother. Moonfur placed the squirrel down in front of her.

"I brought you something." she meowed.

Wetpaw looked down at the squirrel for a moment, with a look of worry etched into a small frown. His teal eyes met her own, making her stomach churn even more within her. Wetpaw's fur twitched with subtlety, "I'm scared..." His eyes widened sharply for a moment, and the young tom glanced behind him, as if he had heard something.

"What are you scared of? The half-moon? It'll be fine, the other clan medicine cats really like talking to you at the Gathering, I can tell." Moonfur moved forward to comfort him, touch him with her nose, but Wetpaw hardly looked at her as she did, he was stiff as a log.

"Not that...It's just..." Wetpaw seemed to be having trouble speaking. "Its about my dream."

Moonfur stepped back to give him a bit of space from her touch, knowing that Wetpaw didn't like to be touched often. She knew that all medicine cats usually experienced some sort of dream, it was supposed to be a message from StarClan, like an induction from what she heard, an event that begins one's journey as a medicine cat. "What about it? What's wrong?"

Wetpaw shuffled his paws a bit, looking tense. "Roseclaw says we're not supposed to talk about our dreams... But-" His words slowly died, and he looked off past Moonfur into the camp, eyes jaded.

"Its okay." Moonfur meowed, comforting the spotted tom. "Rules are rules, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to." Wetpaw turned back to her, and she offered a smile. He attempted to return it, but the effort was a weak one and his smile fell easily.

"Roseclaw says its fine." He continued. "She had a dream too, so its okay."

Moonfur moved to sit beside him, brushing their pelts together. "I know it will be. Its just a dream, and when you go to the Moonstool you'll be able to talk to StarClan about it, or the medicine cats. Does that sound good?"

Wetpaw said nothing, but nodded silently. Together they looked out of the opening and watched the other cats. In a little while Wetpaw, Mintpaw, and Roseclaw would be departing, but until then she would sit with Wetpaw.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Back from vacay, and it was miserable. Worst thing is I have an assignment to finish and a giant portrait to start- As well as 17 hours of comm. service. Didn't edit all of this so I hope its okay. And to answer a Guest comment, I know I messed up the numbering, but I got sick of re-typing them all and I don't want to keep doing that so we're going to have a mysterious ghost chapter.**

**Lost**

**P.S I hate work.**


	9. Chapter 9

Moonfur watched Wetpaw go as he followed Mintpaw and Roseclaw out of camp. Greysight sat with her, seeing her little sister off as she would go to receive her full name. It was only sundown now, but soon the half-moon would rise and the medicine cats would meet at the Moonstool, leaving early was necessary if they wanted to make the journey from DarkClan and through LightClan territory. After the three cats had vanished from sight and into the darkness of the tree tunnel, Moonfur turned to Greysight beside her.

The blind she-cat sat perfectly straight, relaxed with her head pointed toward the tree tunnel, as if she could see it herself. Moonfur knew this was a big deal for Greysight, and even moreso for Mintpaw. The pale she-cat herself had to admit that Mintpaw had really grown up; she had been there to watch it herself. It seemed like only the other day that she had stumbled upon that young, siamese she-cat who had passed out at the sight of her. The memory was still ripe inside her head; it was funny how it had seemed so serious at the time, but now it was something that they all laughed about. She had come a long way- everyone else had too.

"They grow up fast, huh?" Moonfur meowed, still reveling in the thought.

Greysight's ear curved toward Moonfur, and she smiled faintly. "Yeah. I could say the same about you too, ya know." she added as an afterthought, a smirk growing evident on the side of her face.

"I bet you could." Moonfur returned cheekily. Her cheerful tone soon fell though and was replaced with a small frown knit with worry. "Wetpaw has been acting a bit strange lately though, something is bothering him. A lot."

Greysight didn't seem too concerned and merely shrugged, taking Moonfur's statement for her usual over-worrying."I wouldn't worry about it, he's always like that. Its fine." Greysight stood up and stretched out her forelegs -the pleasant feeling afterward was quite relaxing; she couldn't help but think that Moonfur was the one who needed to relax though.

"No, its not fine." said Moonfur, taking offense for her kit. "Its really been bothering him."

Lostheart silently padded up to the two she-cats and sat nearby, wordlessly joining in on the conversation.

"He told me he's been having dreams, and that they're scaring him." The worry of a mother is perhaps the strongest kind; Greysight and Lostheart could see how stressed Moonfur was, probably even more than her own son- Though they couldn't state that definitely. Her statement, however, had definitely sparked interest in both of the black she-cats.

"Dreams?" Greysight was the first to respond. "What kind of dreams? Not...nightmares?"

Moonfur let out a small huff and shook her head as she wrapped her tail around her paws. "I don't know, I hope not. Wetpaw doesn't need nightmares in his life. He wouldn't tell me exactly what it was about, only that it was a dream and that it was troubling him- Apparently he and Roseclaw have both been having dreams." Unbeknownst to her, Lostheart and Greysight both experienced a short wave of awkward confusion; both she-cats decided that Roseclaw must've been lying, but she had never seemed like the type to do so before. Especially when it came to Wetpaw; the white she-cat probably felt terrible about having to do it.

"I'll talk to Roseclaw." Greysight offered. Even though it felt like a stretch, she still wanted to question her friend about these supposed dreams; she would have thought that Roseclaw would tell her if she was having any. That's what friends are for after all. Besides, Wetpaw's dreams might be connected to hers somehow, and she was interested in finding out what the apprentice had witnessed in his dreams.

Their brief conversation was put at an end with Greysight's' affirmation, and the black she-cat quickly stood up and went to find Warpaw in order to take him out on a hunting patrol; Lostheart left without saying.

Moonfur couldn't help but feel like everyone was pushing her away; Raggedear, and now her own son couldn't even confide in her. A small sigh escaped her jaws, and she looked across camp to where Raggedear was currently sitting. His fur moved slightly in the calm breeze, ruffled and messy as always; looking at his shredded ear, she couldn't help sympathy within her. Thistleprick said he had got it when he was young in a bad fight, she couldn't imagine how that might have scarred him being as young as he was, having to grow up in an environment like that. For a long time she had been on her own too, and yeah, it was hard. Food and shelter always needed to be found, and foxes and other animals avoided. She had always kept moving though, and eventually she had found the tribe, and later DarkClan. It was sort of like how Thistleprick and Raggedear had found them too...

Hopeful that she might be able to talk to him, Moonfur gathered her courage and got up, padding over toward the tom. He always had a calm, soothing air about him, and his advice was good too. Maybe this worry over Wetpaw would be something they would be able to talk about, something that might rekindle their former relationship.

Her approach did not go unnoticed by Raggedear, and as she came closer, the tom's gaze fell upon her own. But unlike any other time before, it stopped her in her tracks. It was cold, colder than she had ever seen on the tom before; his eyes narrowed slightly, as if in silent communication before turning to look away.

Moonfur could only stand where she was. Those eyes... Eventually she moved her paws and turned to walk in the opposite direction as if she had never intended to approach him at all, the fur on her neck standing on end the entire time. She couldn't deny the hurt feeling within her; she had never seen Raggedear look at anyone that way before... It didn't seem like Raggedear at all, and she was too afraid to try approaching him if what Thistleprick had once told her was true; the thought always lingered in the back of her mind, but it was hard to believe when seeing the tom's normal demeanor. That look, however, had just begun to make her think otherwise.

From behind her, Raggedear got up and walked off into the brush, leaving camp on his own.

* * *

"Nice one!" Greysight rose from her hunter's crouch and walked over to where Warpaw was standing proudly over his kill. A squirrel lay at his paws, a rather plump one too- someone would be eating good tonight. Like Lostheart had told her, she had been avoiding thinking about her dreams, and instead, she had chosen to focus more on her apprentice. The young tom was very skilled, it made her feel even more confident about her own abilities; after all, she taught him everything he knew.

She was waiting for Warpaw to bury his kill when she felt a new movement that piqued her curiosity. The pawsteps were light. "Where should we go now?" Warpaw was brimming with confidence. Greysight was distracted by the tom's voice and turned her attention back to him. "Why don't we split up here and meet back up at the Dead Oak with our catch?" she returned, far more interested in the small tremor she had felt. "You should go try looking in the fields, prey is usually running there."

"Okay." Warpaw answered, oblivious to what Greysight could sense. "I'll try not to take too long." Greysight would probably be back before he would, being as talented a hunter as she was. Warpaw glanced up into the canopy of the trees, but he couldn't see the sky above; even so, he knew it would be gray and cloudy, it always was, and it seemed to get darker every day.

Warpaw nodded in his mentor's direction and headed off toward the fields; Greysight listened to him go for a moment before stopping to focus once more in silence. She could hear a few birds up in the trees, but the forest was silent otherwise. The vibrations were a good distance off now and still moving, curiosity sparked within Greysight. It was no doubt one of her clanmates, but only she and Warpaw had gone on hunting patrol for the day, and Darkpelt had taken Branchpaw and Amberpaw out on patrol with him- but they had already returned by the time she and Warpaw were leaving.

She had every right to be suspicious.

Greysight followed after the mysterious cat, noting that her paws had begun to move in the direction of OceanClan territory. The smell of salt grew heavy in the air, and Greysight had to stop as she came upon the edge of the forest, not wanting to reveal herself by stepping out into the open sand.

Now that she had come closer, her target was apparent. It was none other than Goldenpaw, walking along the sand by herself. Greysight was about to call out to her, but stopped herself just in time as another cat leapt onto a boulder nearby the young apprentice. At first the blind she-cat thought the cat was going to attack Goldenpaw, but the two began to speak casually to one another.

Greysight's eyes narrowed viciously. What was Goldenpaw doing talking to an OceanClan cat? They were both on their respective sides of the border, but this type of casual interaction wasn't appropriate unless they were at a Gathering. Realization of where Goldenpaw must have gone the day she snuck out dawned on Greysight, and she couldn't help feeling the anger build in her paws.

How stupid was she? Sneaking off to meet an OceanClan tom, another apprentice no doubt she had met at the Gathering, it was completely uncalled for. It was a known fact throughout all clans, and a part of the warrior code, that cats would only take mates from within their own clan. Sure they might just be apprentices, but this is what lead to such events; it would only cause more trouble for the clans than they needed. (These things had happened before.)

Greysight backed away into the shadows of the forest, musing on what she should do. She _wanted _to go out there and deal with the both of them right now, but she also knew that it probably wasn't the best idea. Any other cat would return to camp and report it, it was really the only appropriate thing to do. Then they would have to talk with Goldenpaw about it. -But did she really want to make this an issue right now? The clans were at peace, and her clanmates had other things to worry about. If anyone, she should tell Moonfur and let her handle it; she was the apprentice's mother after all. Thistleprick surely wouldn't be able to understand the situation, much less take it seriously.

Greysight growled inwardly, feeling frustrated. No, she would just have to talk to Goldenpaw herself and put a stop to it before it became a huge mess. It would be better to offer her a chance before exposing her to the entire clan and enacting punishment. Personally she wanted to just do that and get rid of the situation quickly, but lately, she had been trying to be more empathetic...

Finally coming to a point where she knew what she would do, Greysight turned tail and headed back into the forest, Warpaw and the Dead Oak in mind. She would need to catch some prey before returning to camp, she just hoped that she would be able to find some; climbing the trees to get to the birds wasn't a very appealing idea, especially remembering her experience climbing trees in her apprentice days. Not fun at all.


	10. Chapter 10

Greysight and Warpaw ended up returning to the camp pretty late, so late in fact that most everyone else had already gone to rest for the night. Staying out late, however, did have it's advantages, as she and Warpaw were able to catch a few extra mice. Warpaw had insisted on not going back until they had at least five pieces of fresh kill. Greysight didn't have a problem with it so they did, it was actually nice to see her apprentice trying so hard.

It was honestly no surprise that she woke up late because of this.

Greysight found herself alone in the warriors den, and based on the air and emptiness of the den, it was pretty obvious. The blind she-cat grumbled a bit to and forced herself out of her nest, stretching her legs after standing up. She had _actually _gotten a good sleep...a _good_ sleep. For once she didn't have any nightmares- no dreams, no nothing. It was an extremely satisfying feeling to wake up to, instantly making her feel better about the coming day. It was pretty lucky, surely Lostheart's advice couldn't have worked that fast? Greysight grinned to herself, brimming with confidence.

If a patrol hadn't left yet she would take Warpaw out. With that thought in mind, Greysight left the warriors den. The air was somewhat thick around her, signaling the coming of a possible storm; if you asked anyone else, however, they'd probably just say that's how the sky always looked. Truly though, it had gotten darker.

Thinking about her apprentice suddenly made her remember Goldenpaw, she still needed to talk to her, but where was the young she-cat? Darkpelt and Branchpaw were in the clearing speaking to each other, and being a sibling of the cat she needed to find, it was safe to bet that Branchpaw had seen where Goldenpaw went. She couldn't sense the apprentice anywhere in camp.

"Hey!" she called, catching the two toms' attention beforehand as she approached. "Have either of you two seen-" Greysight's voice was lost as a resounding screech sounded from the medicine cat den, catching the attention of all cats in camp. It even managed to send a few birds flying up from the canopy above. Instinct caused Greysight to shoot forward and run to the medicine cat den, fully alarmed by the screech.

"What is it?! What's going on?" she shouted as she burst in through the entrance.

"Thistleprick!"

Roseclaw was sitting beside the small pool of water inside the den looking furious. Thistleprick was standing across from her, but both eyes had now fallen upon Greysight due to her sudden entrance and loud demands. Roseclaw chose to ignore her, however, in favor of turning her attention back onto the calico.

"Look what you've done!" The white she-cat was looking into the water and soon began to scoop something out of it. "That was all of our feverfew and now its useless." Roseclaw finished, fishing the last of the now drenched, flowery bush leaves out as she gathered them in a small pile. Wetpaw stood in the back of the den, looking rattled from all the shouting and loud noise.

"Now I'm going to have to go out and get more, do you even realize how difficult it is to find herbs in our territory? Feverfew only grows in the swamp you know, you're lucky it isn't flooded this time of year." Roseclaw continued, shooting the tom a stern glare as she rolled up the ball of wet herbs to be disposed of.

Greysight blinked. There was no threat here, but it looked like Thistleprick was causing trouble.

"I didn't mean to." Thistleprick retorted, looking down at the ruined herbs. "I'm sorry, look, I'll go with you, okay?"

"No thank you." Roseclaw replied harshly, "I'll be fine by myself."

Greysight chose this moment to intervene, stepping forward to show that she wasn't just a shadow inside the den. "No, take him with you. If he's the one who messed up, he should be the one to replace the herbs." Blind eyes narrowed in the direction of the tom; wasting their resources wasn't an option. "Quit playing around." she growled.

Roseclaw finished sweeping the herbs away and sighed, looking toward the entrance of the stone den. "I might as well go now." Greysight looked like she was about to retort, but Roseclaw waved her off with a swish of her bushy white tail. "I'm not tired, and besides, I'm the only one who knows what the herbs look like. I'll let the apprentices rest, they need it from after the meeting last night." Blue eyes turned toward Thistleprick, glistening with aggravation, "Thistleprick can do their work for them." She sighed. "Come on, let's go."

Greysight moved out of the way as Roseclaw padded past, Thistleprick following behind with a small shrug, though he did look a bit guilty- only just a bit. The black she-cat stopped him shortly, only to ask a quick question. "Thistleprick, have you seen Goldenpaw?"

The calico blinked his violet eyes, looking a bit curious as to why Greysight was trying to find his apprentice. "I gave her the day off, why?"

Greysight shook her head, "Nothing, Warpaw was just asking if we could do a joint training session."

"Well if you can find her, I'm sure she'd like that." Thistleprick added as an afterthought as he quickly padded ahead to catch up to Roseclaw, who was already on her way out of the tree tunnel. Greysight hung back, standing in the clearing. A day off, huh? That probably meant she had gone out to OceanClan territory again; Greysight didn't doubt it. That would be her first place to look, and even if she wasn't there, tracking the apprentice would be simple for her. Greysight also intended to make use of the time to go hunting as well seeing as there was currently nothing in camp, she hadn't even been able to eat any breakfast.

The blind she-cat left without another thought, mind fully set on ending Goldenpaw's little meetings; perhaps if she hadn't been so distracted, she would have realized she was being watched by a pair of large, wide eyes.

* * *

Roseclaw continued to trek through DarkClan territory with Thistleprick at her heels; she pushed past several bushes and leapt over many fallen branches in the process. This side of the territory had always been much more wild, more messy. They were headed to the swamp where the feverfew could be found. She was walking fast, and it was becoming harder and harder for Thistleprick to keep up.

"Hey!" he called. "Come on Rose, wait up; why the rush? The plants aren't going anywhere."

Roseclaw didn't slow her pace any until they reached the swampy part of the territory, made noticeable by the softer ground and change in foliage. She stopped, allowing a moment to try and calm her own feelings of frustration. "They might not even be there at all, and if that happens, we'll have nothing to take care of anyone who comes down with a fever- amongst other things." she muttered angrily.

"You know I didn't mean to, it was an accident. Besides, no one is sick right now."

"And what if they do get sick? I might not be able to help them, and that'd all be on me! I don't know why you have to continue to make my job harder." Roseclaw was practically fuming, but she knew there was no point in being mad, so letting out a breath of hot air, she flicked away her irritation with a sharp lash of her tail. Thistleprick was being oddly passive, really he could've at least acted like he cared about messing up her stock, or possibly setting the clan up for another tight situation. They couldn't always go around asking the other clans for help, they needed to show that DarkClan could do things on it's own, and that meant not taking any more donations.

The deeper portion of the swamp lay only a few feet ahead, and that meant they would need to be more careful. There was a reason the clan had rules against apprentices entering the swamp, and most warriors didn't even bother, it simply wasn't worth the risk; however, a plethora of herbs grew in the muggy terrain, and only in it. It was a place that the medicine cat was forced to frequent, but it was never a place to go alone, usually she would take Mintpaw along, not only because of the rule, but because the apprentice also needed to know how to get around in such a place. Inwardly, Roseclaw smiled a bit, her mood lightening at the thought of her apprentice. The cream-colored she-cat would no longer need her guidance, she was a medicine cat now.

As for the rule, there was a very good reason cats couldn't go into the swamp alone. If it was flooded, no one could, but as of now it wasn't. However, even without the flooding, many portions of the swamp were constantly waterlogged, and there was no telling how deep some of it went- or what might be lurking underneath... Cats were not permitted to attempt to wade through the water, and going around was a necessity that in itself presented a danger of it's own, perhaps even more so than the waterlogged portions.

The problem? Quick-mud. Naturally the ground of a swamp, one with consistent flooding at that, would be very soft and muddy, and this was a dangerous thing. One false step and a cat could sink in up to their belly, and getting out was near impossible once ensnared. It was the reason the rule had been made so long ago after several foolish apprentices had been lost to the hazardous area. The mud would suck a cat down, make moving impossible, and struggling would only make the effect worse. Truly, it was a deadly trap.

Roseclaw however, being the clan's medicine cat, often frequented this part of the territory and she knew from her own teachings in the past how to navigate her way through the terrain to get what she needed.

"I'll lead." Roseclaw meowed. "The swamp is a dangerous place, if you make a wrong step, it could mean the end of your life- So follow mine exactly, okay?" She turned to look back at Thistleprick who had been looking into the swamp; upon catching her gaze, the calico grinned slightly, a small twinkle to his eye.

"I would follow you anywhere, Rosebud, you know that."

Roseclaw stared at him for a second before she turned and padded onward all the same. In doing so, she wasn't able to see the grin slowly fall from Thistleprick's face, or the way he had somberly picked himself up and followed her into the muggy forest. He hardly even paid attention as he followed the white she-cat around twisted trees, and across logs lying in the mud and water below; not even the thick ringing of the bugs, or the rancid stench distracted him- although it did cause the tom to wrinkle his nose distastefully. Whatever happened to forests and fresh air, wide open spaces and the beauty of nature, huh? The smell reminded him of his old home, and that was a place better left forgotten. Instead, he was focused on the she-cat ahead of him.

No retort? No comeback? No comment on how immensely immature and idiotic he was? It wasn't natural. She had to be really upset if she couldn't even yell at him.

Thistleprick followed her until she stopped in a relatively grassy area and began to grab at the proper herbs she needed. Thistleprick hung back for a while, watching her, but as she continued to do so without saying anything he stepped forward. "Which ones do we need?" he asked.

The tom half-expected Roseclaw to ignore him again, put to his surprise she set down the clump she had already gathered beside her. "These ones here, the leafy little tendrils, with the small flowers. That's feverfew."

She returned quickly to her work, not sparing Thistleprick even so much as a glance. He moved to stand behind her and pull up the plants himself, setting the tendrils onto the pile Roseclaw had already begun to make. "I really am sorry you know, making your job more difficult wasn't my intention..." He had only wanted to make her laugh, but his clumsiness had gotten in the way of things once again and he ended up making the situation worse.

The snowy medicine cat sighed. "I know."


	11. Chapter 11

No sign of movement yet. Greysight shouldered her way past a thick bush, wincing slightly as she felt the sharp prick of a thorn, but it was easy to pull herself free. At least she could scent Goldenpaw, that was her main way of tracking her now.

The forest was cool today. Normally she would feel the occasional sunspot warm her pelt, but it had probably been moons since that last happened. It made her wonder just how long it had been since anyone had actually seen the sun, most of the time they said it was just gray when she asked. Dark and gray. The lack of sunlight wasn't good for the forest, especially now when it was so... weak, for lack of a better word. Their home just wasn't what it used to be, and even back then, it had never been anything exceptional. Overhead, she heard the faint caw of a crow, hiding in the tick canopy of the trees above.

Thinking about the poor state of their territory caused her to think of the plants, and in thinking of the plants, she was suddenly reminded of what had happened the other day- She had been so busy with Warpaw, and so focused on Goldenpaw, that she had completely forgotten about congratulating Mintpaw on becoming a medicine cat. Instant guilt washed over the black she-cat. She would just have to go visit her later, and maybe while she was there she could talk to Wetpaw as well...

Greysight continued to follow the scent. She was tired, that much she knew, she was really starting to losing her focus. She knew that she had stayed out pretty late with Warpaw, but it was still really unusual. Why was it that everything was starting to feel heavy? Greysight felt as if she was bobbing back and forth, and the ground was moving beneath her. Her eyes slowly began to close, and her expression went blank. The she-cat's body stumbled on her paws for a moment before collapsing completely.

* * *

"Where...where am I?"

_Drip._

Greysight's initial instinct was to go rigid from the sound, having an instant feeling of anxiety strike her heart, flushing her body with a mixture of warmth and chill from the quick reaction. However, her fur began to lie flat once more, and her heartbeat fell to a steady calm as she realized that she was in the medicine cat den. She almost scolded herself for thinking she was in a dream, one that she hadn't had in many moons no less. The sound had come from the small pool in the back where someone was gathering water with a ball of moss.

Getting used to the sharp scent of herbs always took a second, and while it wasn't necessarily the most flowery of smells, the familiarity of it helped her to relax. Her head pounded softly, and her legs felt shaky and asleep laid out beside her.

"Don't try to get up."

Greysight let her head drop back against the nest, groaning mildly in preparation for what was to come. Roseclaw had been sitting nearby waiting for her to wake up, and now that she was, the white she-cat would never let her leave.

"Greysight's up?"

Greysight listened as two cats hurried over, one much more quickly than the other. Mintpaw and Roseclaw stood by her side whilst in the back, Wetpaw finished gathering water in a ball of moss and hesitantly carried it over and dropped it beside Roseclaw who offered a quick thanks. The apprentice slinked away afterwards toward another part of the medicine cat den.

"You look good; how are you feeling?"

"Like I just ran headfirst into a tree." Greysight replied snarkily. Didn't Thistleprick do that once? She couldn't remember. "-Tired. That's it."

"You seem pretty lively to me. Thistleprick and I found you passed out in the forest on our way back, you nearly gave me a heart attack you know, I thought you might have gotten attacked." Roseclaw sighed and shook her head. "Here, let me get you something."

Greysight listened as Roseclaw moved further away to find the herbs she was looking for. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? Cats don't just pass out without good reason..." The soft, concerned voice came from Mintpaw who was still standing by her nest.

Greysight tried to grin the best she could, despite being tired. "I'm fine." she meowed, flicking Mintpaw's paws slightly with her tail. "I'm more interested in how you're doing, _medicine cat_."

Mintpaw's face broke out into a smile, happy that her sister had remembered after all; she had been feeling a bit hurt, thinking Greysight had forgotten- But she knew that Greysight was busy with other things, so she had tried to understand. "I'm doing great! The other medicine cats were really kind and supportive, the ceremony went well. I got my full name too, now I'm just like you. Its Mintleaf." A soft purr rumbled from within her chest and Roseclaw returned, dropping a few leaves beside Greysight.

"Here, eat these, they'll start to make you feel better."

"Yep, you need to stop growing. I bet you're already taller than me too, aren't you?" Greysight returned, paying no attention to the herbs placed beside her.

"Most everybody is taller than you." Roseclaw cut in. "Come on, eat up."

"Hey, don't go making fun of us short cats. Everyone knows we're the most useful." Much to her distaste, Greysight leaned over and licked up the herbs, chewing in her mouth with a sour expression. Of course they tasted awful, why couldn't they ever taste somewhat nice for once? She swallowed the last of it and stuck her tongue out for a moment. "Got any honey?" she asked hopefully.

"You're out of luck." Roseclaw returned. She placed the ball of wet moss from earlier beside Greysight, in case the black she-cat got thirsty and wasn't able to carry herself over to the pool.

"Mintleaf... such a pretty name. Mom would be proud of you, you know. I bet she's been watching you this entire time."

Roseclaw pushed in something beside her, fixing up the nest. Once finished she backed up and seemed to survey her handiwork. Mintleaf stepped back to give her some space. "Okay," Roseclaw meowed, "Looks like we're done here. Mintleaf, would you finish putting away the rest of the feverfew for me?"

Mintleaf blinked upon being spoken to, but after a second she was able to process Roseclaw's words and nodded. "Okay." The young medicine cat quickly went to follow her mentor's wishes; Roseclaw hadn't gotten to put them away because she had been so focused on Greysight. Thistleprick had offered to help, but after he put Greysight down she promptly shoved him out of the medicine cat den.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" Greysight asked bluntly, though it was pretty much left unsaid of what she really meant, can I leave? Fortunately Roseclaw knew her well enough to understand.

"You're going to have to stay in here for a day or two until your body recuperates-"

Greysight groaned.

"How many times have I told you? You can't push yourself like this, Greysight." Her words were spoken harshly, but a soft concern lay concealed in her voice. "Please, just take it easy. I know there's not a lot of fresh kill and it's tough for everyone, but sometimes you have to think about yourself, okay?"

Greysight rolled over and let out a small huff.

"I'll wake you up later for something to eat and your second set of herbs; for now just try to relax." She felt Roseclaw pad away, most likely to help Mintleaf sort herbs. The blind she-cat let out a breath as she tried to fall asleep, but she was just too awake. She listened for any sign of Wetpaw, but the apprentice had already left the medicine cat den, much to her disappointment. She still wanted to talk to him, and she still needed to talk to his sister as well. Really the timing of this couldn't be any worse she figured, unfortunately, it looked like the two apprentices would just have to wait.

* * *

Out in the forest another cat was experiencing problems of their own. Alone and isolated, in a place surrounded by thick brush, a tom paced back and forth through a small clearing, turning several times in his path, stopping only to look in a nearby pool of water for a long moment before moving again.

"Stop it... Stop it!"

Raggedear hissed and shook his head furiously, blinking a few times before turning around and re-tracing his steps once more, focusing wide eyes onto the ground. Had there been any spectators they surely would've thought the tom mad, talking to himself.

No one could ever know. They wouldn't understand! They'd only see him as a shadow, they wouldn't see the good he meant, they wouldn't see him for who he truly was!

Raggedear gritted his teeth and padded up to a large puddle, taking a moment to stare impassively at the clumps of dead leaves floating in the surprisingly clear, dirty- looking water. Slowly he relaxed his jaw and glanced at his reflection, hating the image of the weary looking cat staring back at him. Only his yellow eyes stood out vibrantly against his body; somber eyes, messy fur, a tattered ear. He looked like a corpse.

The dark rings circling his eyes were a sign of many sleepless nights; it hadn't been this bad in so long.

"Am I good cat?..." Raggedear meowed lowly, albeit a bit solemnly as he stared into his reflection, as if asking it for some sort of answer, expecting some sort of sign to be given to him.

_Do you really think that they would ever understand? _

The image narrowed it's eyes. "Go away. I'm sick of you."

_You can never get away from me, Raggedear._

"You're nothing but a voice in my head! You can't do anything to me or anyone else, I won't let you."

A fierce growl met his words. _I. Am. Better! Look at you, sniveling here in the woods like a kit- Its pathetic. Why don't you grow up? You don't deserve to be in a clan, you don't deserve to have them. You're nothing! I am your strength, I do everything, watching over us, making sure what needs to be done is done-_

"I don't need you. I'm sick of you- I'm sick of you and your twisted thoughts! You're nothing more than a bad dream... a monster hiding in the dark."

_Me? _I'm_ the monster? _A jeering scoff. _Have you forgotten already?..._

"No! You are and always will be! You've done nothing but make me hurt innocent cats- cats I care about. The only thing you do is bring harm to others and get in the way, you'd hurt them!"

His ears were pounding, and if not for the sharp sound of a lost drop of water falling into the puddle from above, he might have heard a response. Raggedear opened his eyes, not at all realizing before that he had clenched them shut during the argument.

He honestly had no idea how many times he had come out here, but the clearing showed clear evidence that he had. Claw marks scarred the trees, a clear indication of the tom's inner turmoil and frequenting of the, but at least it was only the trees and not his clanmates, his friends, Amberpaw, his brother, Moonfur...

He had to get away from them when things got bad and _he _fought for control, raging and lashing out at all the walls Raggedear had built up; and it was happening more often that he did take over, and it was all Raggedear could do to prevent that from happening around the other cats.

_You don't deserve-_


End file.
